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 is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. Day and Prince attended the same high school in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

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

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 Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

's '' Moving'' (1988) and the

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film ''

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'' (1990). Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in

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's ''

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'', performing "Jungle Love" with The Time after being introduced emphatically by

Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films. Early life Mewes was ...

' 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 Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

'' as a

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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 ''

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'', 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,

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revealed that he auditioned on the spot for ''

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'' with a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him.

Appearances in popular culture

Australian musician

Dave Graney Dave Graney is an Australian rock musician, singer-songwriter and author from Melbourne. Since 1978, Graney has collaborated with drummer-multi instrumentalist Clare Moore. The pair have fronted or been involved with numerous bands including Th ...

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

In March 2022, an article written by the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

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

Singles

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Morris 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