The sudden death of legendary rock musician Prince Rogers Nelson on April 21st 2016 sent shockwaves around the world.
Part travel guide and part biography, this is one Prince fan’s emotional account of an incredible journey he felt compelled to make in honour of his musical hero.
One year on from Prince's death, Stuart Willoughby, a fan from the north east of England, made a four thousand mile pilgrimage to Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis in an attempt to understand the life and work of this seminal artist.
Arriving in the U.S. in the anniversary week of Prince’s passing, Stuart found himself on an incredible adventure that brought him closer to Prince than he ever could have imagined.
Stuart said recently "My book, 'Minneapolis Reign', has sold a huge amount right around the world now, which I'm over the moon about. Staff at Prince's home have copies, as does First Avenue, and even members of Prince's bands, which blows my mind. His fans are absolutely amazing.".
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making 2017 a purple year for me, and I wish everyone a happy, safe, and peaceful new year."
- Stuart Willoughby
The book is now available in the US on Amazon.com. If you've read the book Stuart would really appreciate a review to help it compete with the many other books about Prince released this year.
A review from Amazon UK:
“Stuart’s love for Prince leaps off every page and the story of his journey to Minneapolis to commemorate the first anniversary of Prince’s passing is an absolute pleasure to read. Stuart clearly has an expert knowledge of his subject, yet the reader can still feel his sense of wonderment at what he experiences, whether it be his visit to Paisley Park, discovering Prince’s childhood haunts, meeting members of his idol’s family and band or even simply a car journey through the Minnesota countryside. I’ve heard so many people say about this book ‘when you read it, you feel like you were there’, and it’s absolutely true. I write this an anything but a Prince ‘aficionado’. Beyond two or three singles, I have little knowledge of his life or music, but this book has certainly filled in a few gaps and has encouraged me to investigate further. Great stuff!” Bill Aitken, UK
As well as an author Stuart helps run the Sound It Out Records store and website.
Sound It Out Records has existed for many years, hidden away in the back streets in Stockton On Tees in Teesside, and now also has an online store.
The physical store is one of the last independently owned record stores in the North East of England and is doing better than ever thanks to the resurgence in popularity of vinyl.
Stuart Willoughby Facebook
Sound It Out Records Facebook
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