Born on this day in 1950 – Prairie Prince, drummer with American band The Tubes known for their 1977 hit single ‘White Punks On Dope’ and the 1983 US No.10 single ‘She’s A Beauty’.
He has also worked with Chris Isaak (on his first four albums), Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno, David Byrne, XTC, Tom Waits, Paul Kantner, George Harrison, Dick Dale, Glenn Frey, Richard Marx, Bill Spooner, Neil Hamburger, John Fogerty, Nicky Hopkins, Tommy Bolin, Phil Lesh, Singer at Large Johnny J. Blair, and former Tubes and Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick.
Prince collaborated with Ross Valory, bassist and founding member of Journey, on a line of patented eco-friendly, USA made hoodie shirts called MouthMan- where graphic designs of jaws and teeth on the sleeves form a mouth when the wearer “hugs himself”.
In 2006, he toured with The New Cars including Todd Rundgren, bassist Kasim Sulton (Rundgren’s Utopia bandmate), and original The Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes. He continues to play with The Tubes and Todd Rundgren.
He was an original member of the reformed Jefferson Starship, known as “Jefferson Starship – The Next Generation” in 1992, and appears on both that band’s studio albums (the 1999 release Windows of Heaven and the 2008 release, Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty), along with numerous live albums. Prince announced in early 2008 that he was leaving the band on amicable terms and remains available for international performances.
He is a sought after session musician and recently played drums and percussion on all tracks of Chuck Prophet’s 2012 release Temple Beautiful and seven of 12 tracks on Prophet’s 2014’s Night Surfer.
As a graphic artist he designed the album cover artwork for many artists including The Tubes, Todd Rundgren (1981 album Healing), Journey (Raised on Radio), Lyle Workman and Vince Welnick’s 1998 album Missing Man Formation, among many others. Along with his creative partner and fellow former Tube Michael Cotten, he has created numerous set designs for major artists including Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bette Midler, N’Sync, Shania Twain, Styx, The Tubes, and Todd Rundgren. Prince and Cotten have teamed up with choreographer Kenny Ortega on several special events including the 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, Super Bowl XXX Half Time Show (which featured Diana Ross singing “Take Me Higher” as she was lifted from the field in a helicopter), Michael Jackson’s “This is It” concert, and Shania Twain’s residency, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-rEVVAw3-0
