John L. Nelson

John Lewis Nelson (June 29, 1916 – August 25, 2001),[1] also known as his stage name Prince Rogers, was an American jazz musician and songwriter. He was the father of musicians Prince and Tyka Nelson and a credited co-writer on some of his son's songs.

John L. Nelson
Birth name	John Lewis Nelson
Born	(1916-06-29)June 29, 1916 Webster Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	August 25, 2001(2001-08-25) (aged 85) Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S.
Years active	1948–1966
Associated acts	Prince The Prince Rogers Trio

Personal life

Nelson was born in Webster Parish, Louisiana, the son of Carrie (Jenkins) and Clarence Nelson. The Nelsons had four other children. He traveled to Minneapolis to become a musician in 1948. Playing the piano, he used "Prince Rogers" as a stage name and started a band called "The Prince Rogers Trio" with local musicians.

In 1956, he met Mattie Della Shaw (November 11, 1933 – February 15, 2002) at a show on the north side of Minneapolis. Shaw was a jazz musician who became the musical group’s singer. She had one son, Alfred Frank Alonzo Jackson (born July 6, 1953).[2] Nelson married Shaw on August 31, 1957,[3] and the couple had two more children, musician Prince[4] (1958–2016) (who was named after his father’s stage name) and daughter singer Tyka Nelson (born 1960). The couple formally separated in 1965 and were divorced on September 24, 1968.[3]

John Nelson's grandfather, Rev. Edward "Ed." Nelson [5] was born to a White slaveowner, John Nelson and his Cherokee concubine [6]. Rev. Ed became a travelling preacher for the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church and married Emma, a Black woman.

Death

Nelson died on August 25, 2001, aged 85, in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. That year Prince dedicated Joni Mitchell’s song "A Case of U", on his One Nite Alone... album, to his father.

Collaboration with Prince

John L. Nelson wrote (or co-wrote) some music which was released by Prince in the 1980s.[7]

ASCAP credits

ASCAP credits, or co-credits, him with the following:

• "Father’s Song" and "Purple Rain Cues", from the film Purple Rain, 1984
• "Computer Blue" from the Purple Rain album and film, 1984
• "Around the World in a Day" (composed with David Coleman and Prince), "Paisley Park" (composed with David Coleman and Prince), and "The Ladder" (composed with Prince), from the album Around the World in a Day, 1985[8]
• "Christopher Tracy’s Parade" (composed with Prince) and "Under the Cherry Moon" (composed with Prince) from the album Parade, 1986[8]
• "Under the Cherry Moon Cues" from the film Under the Cherry Moon, 1986
• "Scandalous!" from the Batman album and film, 1989

References

1. "John Lewis Nelson (1916- 2001) - Genealogy". Geni.com. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
2. "Microsoft Word - 126883449_1.docx" (PDF). Mncourts.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
3. "Microsoft Word - 126883449_1.docx" (PDF). Mncourts.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
4. Pierre Perrone, "John Nelson". The Independent. London. September 1, 2001. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
5. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD62-WRT
6. https://www.geni.com/people/Rev-Edward-Ed-Nelson/6000000007748585361
7. Perrone (2001)
8. Credits in album booklet.