For years, the demo tape that launched Prince’s career story was tucked away in the attic of the home of the music executive who first signed him.
Now, music fans and Prince fans worldwide have the chance to own the record that earned the Minneapolis superstar his first record deal when it goes up to auction, according to Boston-based auction house RR Auction.
The demo, recorded in 1976 and still in its original packaging, was part of the Marvels of Modern Music auction that ended Thursday.
It contains the unreleased versions of the songs “Just As Long as We’re Together” and “My Love is Forever”, as well as the unreleased “Jelly Jam”.
Prince was just 18 years old when he recorded the song – all written, sung, arranged and played by himself – at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis, RR Auction said in a news release.
“This is the original tape, so this is the birth of what became known as Prince,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of public relations for RR Auction, told CNN.
“It’s great because it comes from a record executive sent out, so it has an uninterrupted chain of custody,” said Livingston.
The particular artifact was discovered by Jeff Gold, former executive vice president and general manager of Warner Bros. Records who befriended music industry executive Russ Thyret.
Thyret, who later served as CEO and chairman of the record company, signed Prince to Warner Bros. on June 25, 1977, shortly after his 19th birthday.
Gold, who currently runs an online business selling high-end collectibles and helping artists value their archives, said he received a call from Thyret’s widow, who lives in Los Angeles. Thyret died in 2021.
“(He said), ‘Russ keeps a lot of stuff and it’s all up in the attic of our house – would you mind coming and looking at it and helping me figure out what to do with it, and buy anything you’re interested in? ‘” Gold told CNN.
He said he found several boxes of tapes in the attic.
“When I saw (the demo tape), I knew exactly what it was,” said Gold. “I was really excited when I saw it, but with caution, because you never know if the tape will play or if it will have the wrong thing in the box – but luckily, this one has the right thing.”
The demo tape to be auctioned comes with a plexiglass display case, a business card belonging to Thyrett, a transfer audio CD of the tape and a letter of origin from Gold, according to RR Auction.
Several other Prince items are up for auction, including the lace gloves he wore on stage during his Purple Rain tour and a sealed first print of “The Black Album”, the auction house said.
Prince’s items that were previously auctioned off have sold at a high price. The original lyrics to the song, “Nothing Compares 2 U”, sold for $150,000, according to Livingston.
