Prince, the music world’s own little chameleon, defies explanation. He consciously cultivates an air of mystery and eccentricity that would be ridiculous if he weren’t so incredibly talented. He may intimidate us and maybe even freak us out a bit, but oh how we love him.

Prince came from a musical family residing in Minneapolis and he learned to play several instrument while still a young child. His home life was troubled during that time, so Prince spent most of his adolescence living with various family members and friends. The apparent dysfunctionality didn’t deter him from founding and cultivating a high school band, eventually becoming the music arranger and front man. A producer named Chris Moon helped Prince record a demo tape that made the rounds at many big name labels that wanted sign this up-and-coming young talent. Prince settled on a dream contract with Warner Brothers that included a big recording budget and complete artistic control of his own music. The first album, For You, only had modest success but the second outing, Prince, had two hit singles in “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”

Dirty Mind came out in 1980 and gave a preview of how things would be: dirty, sexy, raunchy. Prince underlined the naughty lyrics of the songs with comparable on-stage antics that could be considered lewd and indecent in many states and assorted territories. He reinforced this oversexed, androgynous image with stockings, make up and a pelvis that never stopped humping the air, the amps, the drum set…you name it. The aptly named Controversy was released in 1981 and went gold within three months.

Prince’s next effort pushed him more into the mainstream and 1999 included the hit singles “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious.” He followed that with an ambitious album that came with its own movie: Purple Rain was a dramatized autobiography of Prince’s experience in the Minneapolis music scene. The soundtrack included some of his best-know songs such as “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain.” It sold fifteen million copies and topped the charts for six months; it also earned Grammy and Academy Awards. Prince’s hypersexuality came under heavy scrutiny, especially by a newly formed group calling themselves the Parents Music Resource Center. Led by Tipper Gore, the PMRC raised a big stink about explicit lyrics and imagery, eventually beating a path to warning labels being placed on album covers.

How do you top an album that had its own Senate hearing? Prince released Around the World in a Day and then went back to Minneapolis where he started his own studio and record label, Paisley Park. He went two years without performing any live shows but he put out Parade--that included the funkiest little tune around, “Kiss”—and assumed directorial duties in his next movie, Under the Cherry Moon.

In 1987, Sign O’ The Times earned great critical acclaim and occupied Prince with its accompanying European tour but the following The Black Album came within days of its announced release, only to be snatched back into the studio’s vaults. Fans thought Prince was crazy to keep this gem out of the hands of the eager masses and soon, enough bootleg copies of The Black Album leaked out to satisfy the pressing demand. Lovesexy tried to cancel out the bad mojo of the previous album but didn’t perform as well as his earlier hits. Prince got back on top with his soundtrack for the hit movie Batman and two years later, he repeated that feat with the popular Diamonds and Pearls, which included the #1 single “Cream.”

In a bizarre move, Prince celebrated his 35th birthday by changing his name to a made-up glyph character that left everyone scratching their heads as to what to call him. ‘Glyph Boy’ didn’t stick but ‘The Artist Formerly Known As Prince’ did, to the relief of millions who had been rendered tongue-tied by the unfamiliar symbol.

In an effort to dissolve his partnership with Warner Brothers, Glyph Boy started churning out one record after the other, simply as a means to his contract’s end. These albums did poorly, both critically and commercially; the record label decided it was time to bid the former Prince farewell. He rejoiced in his newfound independence with a triple album, subtly titled Emancipation, which went platinum. More albums followed, released through his own or other record labels and the Artist finally went back to his old name, which didn’t really matter because everyone had been calling him Prince all along.

It has been a long, colorful career and Prince shows no signs of stopping. He’s proved himself as a performing artist and as a very talented guitarist, not to mention the many examples of his songwriting skill. He’s still a little weird but hey, that’s just part of his charm.