Morris Day
| Morris Day | |
|---|---|
| Born | Minneapolis |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Genres | funk rock · funk · new wave · soul music · pop music |
| Instruments | drum |
 |
Morris Day | |
|---|---|
 Day in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Morris E. Day |
| Born | December 13, 1957 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | |
Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1957) is an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.
Music career[edit | edit source]
Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Prince attended the same high school[citation needed] in Minneapolis and in 1974, as teenagers, became bandmates in the band Grand Central.
Morris announced on September 13, 2022 that he will be retiring after his 2023 tour.
Acting career[edit | edit source]
In addition to his roles in Purple Rain (1984) and Graffiti Bridge (1990), Day also appeared in small parts in films such as Richard Pryor's Moving (1988) and the Andrew Dice Clay film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, performing "Jungle Love" with The Time after being introduced emphatically by Jason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and The Time!" and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's coda.
Day also appeared on the small screen in 1990 when he portrayed the character Lamarr on ABC's short-lived sitcom New Attitude. He guest-starred on the sitcom Eve as a pimp who wanted Eve's fashion boutique to design a flamboyant suit to match his witty personality, and appeared as himself in an episode on the series Moesha, attempting to file a lawsuit against Moesha's ex-boyfriend Q, who used a sample from "The Oak Tree" without permission. He also appeared on 227 in the 80s.
He appeared opposite James Avery and Matthew Stewart in a pilot called Heart & Soul produced by Quincy Jones. In 2018, Will Smith revealed that he auditioned on the spot for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him.
Appearances in popular culture[edit | edit source]
Australian musician Dave Graney repeats a Morris Day quote—"As a concept—incredible! But I’m a reality!"—over and over throughout the title song from his 2009 album, 'Knock Yourself Out'.
Legal dispute with Prince Estate[edit | edit source]
In March 2022, an article written by the Los Angeles Times mentioned 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 attorney Erin M. Jacobson mentioned 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.’”
Discography[edit | edit source]
Albums[edit | edit source]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B | |||||
| 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 | edit source]
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
US Dance |
UK | |||
| 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" (with Snoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019 | "Lil Mo Funk" (with Snoop Dogg) | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | "Cooler Than Santa Claus" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Headrush" (with Trinidad James) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021 | "Grown Man" (with Big Daddy Kane) | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Filmography[edit | edit source]
Film[edit | edit source]
| 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 | edit source]
| 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 | edit source]
Day, Morris (2019). On Time: A Princely Life in Funk (illustrated ed.). Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306922206.
External links[edit | edit source]
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
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- 1956 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
- Musicians from Minneapolis
- Songwriters from Minnesota
- The Original 7ven members
- Singers from Minnesota
- 20th-century American drummers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- African-American songwriters
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 21st-century African-American people
- American male songwriters
