Music: Prince “Lovesexy” Lovesexy CD
Date: Wednesday September 25, 2024
This one kind of caught us by surprise. This is the NEW
& IMPROVED modern miracle medical age. We can transplant hearts,
operate on the brain, stem the tide of pandemic type epidemics, as we prolong
life longer & longer for human beings on planet Earth. When you hear
someone passing away at the young age of 60
itz almost like a culture shock. Hell…, me myself & I will turn 64 years old come December 7th
& like Prince says, “I GOTTA LOT MO’ MUFFIN’ 2 GO!!!”
Speaking of Prince is why we are here. We received word
that Ms. Katherine “Cat” Glover a musician, singer, actress, dancer, &
choreographer passed away at 60 years young. Hold Up…, Say Whut???
Us Prince fans came 2 know & love Cat when she landed in his camp starting
with the Lovesexy Tour. The work she did with him on that tour, the Sign O’ The
Times tour & also multiple record projects endeared her to us Prince-o-philes.
She was the perfect foil for his own unique dance moves
allowing his stage shows to become more expansive & choreographed from a
dance perspective. She would also provide backing vocals on tracks, even going
so far as to step out front on the track “Alphabet
St” where Prince calls for her to RAP & she delivers.
The reason this one hits just a tad different is she was
there the very 1st tyme I saw Prince & his band live!!! It was
the Lovesexy Tour. The date was Monday October 24, 1988 8PM at ye ole Nassau
Coliseum (now called the UBS Arena), home of the NY Islanders hockey
team in Hempstead NY. It was me, my cuzzin’ Dalton, & my sidekick Kevin
Cooke. We piled into wifey’s Hyundai Excel, (because i WAS NOT taking my hawt 2 death Camaro Z28) as
we made the trek over the Hudson River to go see the guy who would become a
singular force in my life.
On that night the band consisted of Prince on everything,
Levi Seacer Jr. on bass/backing vocals, Boni Boyer on keyboards/vocals, Dr. Fink on keys, Atlanta Bliss on
trumpet, Eric Leeds on sax, Sheila E on drums/vocals, & Cat dancer/backing vocals.
To say I was “MESMERIZED” that night was an
understatement. What’s that classic line??? “You Only Have One Chance 2 Make A
1st Impression!!!” Well…, that night cemented it for me. I thought
in 1979 I had become a HUGE Prince fan the minute I got my hands
on his 2nd album “Prince” after hearing the track “Sexy
Dancer.” I went back to get his 1st album “For You” &
I was HOOKED after hearing what he delivered on his debut project at 20
years old. Now fast forward almost 10 years & 11 albums later
I had already been feenin’ like a junkie. I was obsessed with all thangs Prince
as I slowly became indoctrinated into his tribe.
Folks that love an artist, xspecially an artist like
Prince, only get half the picture until you see them live in person doing what
they do. We were truly BLOWN AWAY & unprepared for what we witnessed
on that night. Prince sang his heart out, played guitar, bass, keys, drums,
& even played basketball against Cat on a half court they had set up on the
stage. He was out there straight hooping too!!! LOL!!! The concert
opened up with Alphabet St with Prince, Sheila E, & Cat arriving on stage
in that classic White ‘66 Thunderbird he sings about in the song!!! It was BANANAS!!!
From that point on…, IT WAS ON!!!
Outside of Sheila E & Dr. Fink, I only knew a little
bit about the rest of the band because we were only introduced to them on the
previous album, 1987’s (& my favorite Prince album) “Sign
O’ The Times”. We cried when he disbanded The Revolution after 1985’s
“Around The World In A Day” project. We had no idea he needed 2 stretch
& grow his sound as he was working out new ideas where he felt the need to
tap into different musicians to execute the plan. After the success of his
magnum opus “Purple Rain” with that unit, we the fans COULD NOT believe he was gonna blow that group up
to start fresh & new??? WHY PRINCE??? Clearly, he knew exactly what
he was doing.
Seeing this new unit live helped ease the sting of that
loss, because you got completely sucked in because his electrifying presence
was going to keep the NRG Soopa High regardless of who else was on stage
with him. They were a well-oiled machine executing the music flawlessly. 2 my
musical ears…, they were executing sounds & power that MAY NOT have been possible with his Revolution
band. Sheila E on drums alone was awe inspiring as her speed, technique, &
syncopation were incredible. The addition of a horn section elevated the music
in ways we HAD NOT heard on his previous
records.
Cat as a newcomer & non-musician on stage added much
synergy to the mixxx. She moved effortlessly as she mimicked, counter-pointed,
& dueted with Prince via dance & vocals. With her pretty LQQKS,
lithe body, & constant motion you got wrapped up in her aura as she brought
her own style to the band. In a way I guess you can say she paved the way for
Prince 2 bring his future wife Mayte & ballet star Misty Copeland into his
world as dancers on stage with him going forward across different live
productions.
The fact that she was able to stay around through various
projects showed Prince saw something in her he liked. Over the years she went
off to do her own things…, but she is forever cemented into the lure that is
Prince. She is definitely gone much too soon…, but just like his long tyme
drummer John Blackwell & Prince himself…, so have they exited stage left
long before “WE” were ready to see them go.
She can rest EZ knowing that she will be immortalized in
the catacombs of tyme via the moments she spent in Prince’s eclectic & ever-changing
world. Your life was never in vain lady as you made an impression & had a
presence over this fan 36 years ago. I will carry that 1st
meeting & now this last chapter of your life in the lockbox of my heart
that I keep stored deep in my closet, high up on the top shelf where only I can
get to it.
Rest EZ Ms. Cat…, As U Truly Did A Thang!!!
P.S. I Had Rehearsal
With My Own Band 2nite & We Spoke About Cat’s Death Bcuz As Musicians We
Should Alwayz Keep The Memories Of Those We Dig Vibrant In Our Lives!!!
P.P.S. 2day
Iz The Work Anniversary Of When I Started My PSE&G Utility Career. I Was
Just Shy Of 42 Years When I Retired In July Of Last Year!!! Things That
Make U Go Hmmm???
The Brother AJ
