Morris Day
Morris Day | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Morris E. Day |
Born | Springfield,Illinois,U.S. | December 13, 1957
Origin | Minneapolis,Minnesota,U.S.[1] |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1980−2024 |
Labels |
Morris E. Day(born December 13, 1957) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer ofThe Timeand for providing the inspiration for the Viz comic character "Morris Day, Sexual Pervert".
Music career
[edit]Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated withPrince.Day and Prince attended the same high school inMinneapolisand in 1974, as teenagers, became bandmates in the band Grand Central. The band was managed by Morris' mother.[2][3]
Morris announced in 2022 that he would be releasing his final solo albumLast Calland retiring after his 2023–2024 tour.[4]
Acting career
[edit]In addition to his roles inPurple Rain(1984) andGraffiti Bridge(1990), Day also appeared in small parts in films such asRichard Pryor'sMoving(1988) and theAndrew Dice ClayfilmThe Adventures of Ford Fairlane(1990). Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film inKevin Smith'sJay and Silent Bob Strike Back,performing "Jungle Love" with The Time after being introduced emphatically byJason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and the Time!" and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's ending.
Day also appeared on the small screen in 1990 when he portrayed the character Lamarr on ABC's short-lived sitcomNew Attitude.He guest-starred on the sitcomEveas apimpwho wanted Eve's fashion boutique to design a flamboyant suit to match his witty personality, and appeared as himself in an episode on the seriesMoesha,attempting to file a lawsuit against Moesha's ex-boyfriend Q, who used a sample from "The Oak Tree" without permission. He also appeared in the series227.
He appeared opposite James Avery and Matthew Stewart in a pilot calledHeart & Soulproduced byQuincy Jones.In 2018,Will Smithrevealed that he auditioned on the spot forThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airwith a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him.[5]
Legal dispute with Prince Estate
[edit]In March 2022, an article written by theLos Angeles Timesmentioned that the Prince Estate recently informed Day that he "can no longer use Morris Day and the Time in any capacity." After reading the letter that was sent to Day from the estate, music industry attorneyErin M. Jacobsonmentioned in that same article that it was more accurate to say the letter stated that Day could not claim “ownership of the name,” but there was still opportunity to use the name via an agreement with the Prince Estate that would provide terms for Day to monetarily compensate “the trademark owner in exchange for the ability to continue using the name.”[6]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]Year | Album | Chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [7] |
US R&B [8] | |||||
1985 | Color of Success | 37 | 7 | |||
1987 | Daydreaming | 41 | 7 | |||
1992 | Guaranteed | — | — | |||
2004 | It's About Time | 197 | 38 | |||
2022 | Last Call | — | — | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Singles
[edit]Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] |
US R&B [10] |
US Dance [11] |
UK [12] | |||
1985 | "The Oak Tree" | 65 | 3 | 14 | 77 | |
"The Color of Success" | — | 15 | — | — | ||
"The Character" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
"Love Sign" | — | — | — | — | ||
1987 | "Fishnet" | 23 | 1 | 12 | — | |
1988 | "Love Is A Game" | — | 71 | — | — | |
"Are You Ready" | — | — | 8 | — | ||
"Daydreaming" | — | 26 | — | — | ||
1992 | "Circle of Love" | — | — | — | — | |
"Gimme Whatcha Got" | — | 77 | — | — | ||
2000 | "Get a Job" | — | 96 | — | — | |
2017 | "Over That Rainbow" | — | — | — | — | |
"One Night Stand"(withSnoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | ||
2019 | "Lil Mo Funk"(withSnoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | |
2020 | "Cooler Than Santa Claus" | — | — | — | — | |
"Headrush"(withTrinidad James) | — | — | — | — | ||
2021 | "Grown Man"(withBig Daddy Kane) | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Purple Rain | Himself | |
1988 | Moving | Rudy | |
Heart and Soul | Curtis Brousseau | TV movie | |
1990 | The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Don Cleveland | |
Graffiti Bridge | Himself | ||
1991 | Hotel Dicks | Dick 1 | |
1997 | A Woman Like That | ||
2001 | Boys Klub | Marx 2 | |
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Himself | ||
2004 | West from North Goes South | Elvis Potter |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | 227 | Prince Lionel | Episode: "The Prince" |
1990 | New Attitude | Lamarr | Main cast |
1997 | Moesha | Himself | Episode: "Rhythm and Dues" |
2004 | Eve | Rodney P | Episode: "Pimps Up, DivaStyle Down" |
Da Boom Crew | Zorch | Main cast | |
2007-08 | Baisden After Dark | Himself/Band Leader | TV series |
References
[edit]- ^"Morris Day and The Time".Richard De La Fonte Agency, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon January 28, 2007.RetrievedFebruary 25,2007.
- ^Scancarelli, Derek."Morris Day On His Life With Prince: From 'Purple Rain' To A Godly Ultimatum".Forbes.RetrievedAugust 30,2023.
- ^"Morris Day Tells the Full Story of 'Partyup'".Ultimate Prince.August 23, 2017.
- ^Mitchell, Gail (September 8, 2022)."Morris Day Talks Releasing Final Solo Album with 'Last Call': 'It's Time to Do Other Things'".Billboard.RetrievedAugust 30,2023.
- ^"Will Smith Says He Became The Fresh Prince of Bel Air After Getting in Trouble with the IRS".people.RetrievedJanuary 7,2019.
- ^Roberts, Randall (March 4, 2022)."After 40 years, Prince Estate claims band name 'Morris Day and the Time' belongs to it".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 24,2022.
- ^"Morris Day - Billboard 200".Billboard.
- ^"Morris Day - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums".Billboard.
- ^"Morris Day - Billboard Hot 100".Billboard.
- ^"Morris Day - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs".Billboard.
- ^"Morris Day - Dance Club Songs".Billboard.
- ^"MORRIS DAY - full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.RetrievedAugust 6,2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Day, Morris (2019).On Time: A Princely Life in Funk(illustrated ed.). Hachette Books.ISBN9780306922206.
External links
[edit]- 1957 births
- African-American drummers
- African-American rock musicians
- American dance musicians
- Midwest hip hop musicians
- American funk drummers
- American male drummers
- American funk singers
- American male pop singers
- American soul singers
- Living people
- Singers from Minneapolis
- Songwriters from Minnesota
- The Original 7ven members
- 20th-century American drummers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- African-American songwriters
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians
- American male songwriters