Prince Asked to Perform at Leviticus. We Said No.

On this day, June 7 in 1958, Prince was born. In honor of his birthday, I thought you would enjoy reading this short excerpt from my book, After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party. It's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.

"Leviticus became such a hot showplace for entertainers that many acts

approached CP to perform there. But CP only booked talent with a sound

that meshed with the vibe at Leviticus. He knew what would draw a crowd

and what wouldn’t. CP once turned down Prince who stopped by Leviticus

with his little sister Tyka to ask if they could perform at Leviticus. CP said,

“They were unknown kids and I wasn’t sure how the crowd would react to

their music.” This was around 1978, well before Prince’s talent emerged so

comprehensively. Does CP regret turning down one of the biggest stars in

the history of music? 'No,' CP said. 'At the time, they would not have been

a draw.' CP knew our crowd and the music they liked and if he felt it wasn’t

a good fit, it wasn’t. About a year later, Prince hit it big with the album entitled

Prince, the first of many platinum albums. During his shortened career

Prince went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide. While we couldn’t

afford Prince after he became a mega-star, his recordings were a big hit on our

dance floors."

Check out Prince's official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7vRSu_wsNc&t=71s

#disco #Leviticus #musicbusiness #nightclubs