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Morris Day
Morris Day, 2024.jpg
Morris Day on stage with fans, in 2024
Background information
Birth name Morris E. Day
Born (1956-12-13) December 13, 1956 (age 68)
Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
Origin Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active 1981–present
Labels

Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.

Music career

Morris Day 1996
Day in 1996

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 in Minneapolis and in 1974, as teenagers, became bandmates in the band Grand Central. The band was managed by Morris' mother.

Morris announced in 2022 that he would be releasing his final solo album Last Call and retiring after his 2023–2024 tour.

Acting career

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 ending.

Day also appeared on the small screen in 1990 when he portrayed the character Lamarr on ABC's short-lived sitcom New Attitude. ..... He also appeared in the series 227.

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.

Legal dispute with Prince Estate

Morris Day and The Time, 2024
Morris Day and The Time performing in 2024

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

Albums

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

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

Film

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

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: "... Up, DivaStyle Down"
Da Boom Crew Zorch Main cast
2007-08 Baisden After Dark Himself/Band Leader TV series
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