Prince's position in popular culture has undergone only limited academic scrutiny. This book provides an academic examination of Prince, encompassing the many layers of his cultural and creative impact. It assesses Prince's life and legacy holistically, exploring his multiple identities and the ways in which they were manifested through his recorded catalogue and audiovisual personae. In 17 essays organized thematically, the anthology includes a diverse range of contributions - taking ethnographic, musicological, sociological, gender studies and cultural studies approaches to analysing Prince's career.

Mike Alleyne is a Professor in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. He is the author of The Essential Hendrix: An A-Z Compendium (2020), The Encyclopedia of Reggae: The Golden Age of Roots Reggae (2012) and contributing editor of Rhythm Revolution: A Chronological Anthology of American Popular Music - 1960s to 1980s (2015).

Kirsty Fairclough is Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the School of Arts and Media at the University of Salford, UK. She is co-editor of Music/Video (Bloomsbury, 2017), The Arena Concert (Bloomsbury, 2015) and The Music Documentary (2013).

Introduction
Mike Alleyne and Kirsty Fairclough
Part One Sound and Vision
1. Baby, I'm a Star: Prince's Purple Rain
Jason Wood, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
2. Under the Cherry Moon: Prince as His Most Authentic Self
De Angela L. Duff, New York University, USA
3. Before the Rain, 1980-1984: How Prince Got 'The Look'
Casci Ritchie, Independent Scholar, UK
4. Prettyman in the Mirror: Dandyism in Prince's Minneapolis
Karen Turman, Harvard University, USA
5. The Sound of Purple: Prince and the Development of Minneapolis Sound
Maciej Smólka, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Part Two Purple Performance and Presence
6. Glam Slammed: Visual Identity in Prince's Lovesexy
Mike Alleyne, Middle Tennessee State University, USA, and Kirsty Fairclough, University of Salford, UK
7. For You: The Neglected Guitar Style of Prince
Michael Ugrich, University of South Dakota, USA
8. To Make Purple, You Need Blue: Prince as Embodiment of the Postmodern Blues Aesthetic
Tom Attah, Leeds Arts University, UK
9. 'Tears Go Here': Commemorating the Minneapolis Prince and the International Prince
Suzanne Wint, Independent Scholar, USA
Part Three Gender
10. Re-Imagining Masculinity: Prince's Impact on Millennial Attitudes Regarding Gender Expression
Natalie Clifford, Independent Scholar, USA
11. 'We Can't Hate You, Because We Love You': A Look at Prince, Queerness, Misogyny and Feminism
Leah Stone McDaniel, Independent Scholar, USA, and Shannan Wilson, Virginia Union University, USA
12. "Flying Aboard the Seduction 747": Prince, Humour and Horizontal Erotics
Annie Potts, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
13. When Were You Mine?: Prince's Legacy in the Context of Transgender History
Joy Ellison, Ohio State University, USA
Part Four Politics and Race
14. Prince: Introduction of a New Breed Leader
Kamilah Cummings, DePaul University, USA
15. 'Microchip in Your Neck': Prince's 'War'
Zack Stiegler, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA
16. Prince: Conscious and Strategic Representations of Race
Twila L. Perry, Rutgers University School of Law, USA
17. It's All About What's in Your Mind: The Origins of Prince's Political Consciousness
Crystal N. Wise, University of Michigan, USA
Index