Prince: Before The Rain

Allen Beaulieu

We were creating an image for people to latch on to.

Allen Beaulieu grew up in Minneapolis, where he opened his photographic studio in 1978 across the street from First Avenue. He quickly earned a name as a fashion photographer for his work for a local department store. He shot the poster for their March 1978 fashion preview, titled Shades Of Blackness. Beaulieu had shot it with black models in black clothes stood against a dark background – a clever visualisation of shades of blackness. Prince’s adopted mother Bernadette Anderson hung the poster on the wall of the home, which grabbed Prince’s attention and so he phoned Beaulieu.

From 1979, Beaulieu became Prince’s personal photographer and worked together until the end of 1984. Beaulieu shot the iconic album covers for Dirty Mind and Controversy – showcasing Prince’s persona in a way his first two album covers failed to, thereby completely redefining his public image.

Beaulieu accompanied Prince on Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999 Triple Threat tours, to capture live shots, despite never doing photography at live shows before. Beaulieu also shot the pictures the inner dust sleeves for the 1999 double LP, as well as all of the single covers and promotional images of those three albums. Beaulieu also shot the cover photos for the first two albums for The Time, and Vanity 6. More recently, his candid images of Prince backstage were later published as the covers for Prince’s first two posthumous albums Piano & A Microphone 1983 and Originals. Beaulieu was highly influential in the formative years of Prince’s art direction and later image. The shoot location of the image used for Originals was at a graffiti daubed bridge near Beaulieu’s home in Eden Prairie, it would later inspire Prince to set his 1990 movie Graffiti Bridge. It was demolished in 1991 to widen the road under it.

Prince first hired Beaulieu to shoot that infamous picture of Prince donning red shorts held in place by broad white braces, with Prince stood in front of a sheet poked with holes to resemble a sparkling galaxy. That image would be used for the promo poster of his self-titled second album. Prince: Before the Rain was published in 2018 and features Beaulieu’s personal photographic collection, predominately from the Dirty Mind and Controversy album cover shoots and their tours, including Prince’s very first show at First Avenue, and that other infamous shot with Prince showering at home in Chanhassen, used as the pull-out poster packaged with the Controversy LP. By 1983, Prince felt Beaulieu had gained too much notoriety for his work on these covers and was thereby not credited for his photos for the 1999 album dust sleeves. Although Beaulieu remained Prince’s first choice to shoot the covers for Purple Rain and The Time’s Ice Cream Castle, their relationship soured when Prince took a call from Earth, Wind & Fire asking for the contact information of his photographer and refused to reveal to them Beaulieu’s details.

Prince: Before the Rain begins with a foreword written by Prince’s former bandmate Dez Dickerson. The story behind each photo is provided for context.

Synopses

Photographer Allen Beaulieu worked with Prince from the late 1970s into the early ’80s, capturing the musician’s progression from rising star to his ultimate purple superstardom. Always at Prince’s side with camera in hand, Beaulieu helped Prince carry forward his vision with legendary album cover images and promotional photos during the groundbreaking Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 era, while also capturing live performances on tour with Prince.

Prince: Before the Rain puts into focus the hallmark imagery–including behind-the-scenes, candid, and casual shots–with recollections from Beaulieu on his personal and professional relationship with Prince. Accomnpanying text will take the readers deeper into the context of these crucial years, with reminiscences from former bandmates, including Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, and more.

Prince: Before the Rain paints another important picture in the mythology of the celebrated, influential, and endlessly invigorating performer while providing an intimate portrait of the Minnesota artist about to take over the world.

Data

Author

Allen Beaulieu

Publisher

Minnesota Historical Society Press

Released

1 November 2018

Format

Hardback

ISBN

978-1681341217