Why did Prince fire Jam and Lewis from The Time in 1983?

A snowstorm made them miss a show

Minneapolis Sound Quiz: Prince, The Time and Funk-Rock

A snowstorm in Atlanta once cost two band members their jobs, and this Minneapolis sound quiz tells that story and more. Play 10 interactive questions on Prince's synth-funk blend, Morris Day and The Time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson's Control, Vanity 6, the First Avenue club, Purple Rain, Paisley Park and the 1980 hit Funkytown.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Leader
Who is the central figure of the Minneapolis sound?
Synths
What often replaced horn sections in the sound?
Time
Who fronted the band The Time?
Producers
Which Time members became superstar producers?
Fired
Why did Prince fire Jam and Lewis from The Time in 1983?
Janet
Which 1986 Janet Jackson album did they produce?
Club
Which Minneapolis club appears in Purple Rain?
Group
Which girl group did Prince create in the early 1980s?
Studio
What is Prince's studio complex in Chanhassen called?
Disco
Which Minneapolis group scored the 1980 hit Funkytown?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who is the central figure of the Minneapolis sound?
Answer: Prince
He shaped its sound in the late 1970s.
Q2: What often replaced horn sections in the sound?
Answer: Synthesizers
Keyboards played punchy horn-like lines.
Q3: Who fronted the band The Time?
Answer: Morris Day
He played a comic rival in Purple Rain.
Q4: Which Time members became superstar producers?
Answer: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
They built their own studio in Minneapolis.
Q5: Why did Prince fire Jam and Lewis from The Time in 1983?
Answer: A snowstorm made them miss a show
They were producing in Atlanta.
Q6: Which 1986 Janet Jackson album did they produce?
Answer: Control
It made her a star.
Q7: Which Minneapolis club appears in Purple Rain?
Answer: First Avenue
Its walls carry stars for performers.
Q8: Which girl group did Prince create in the early 1980s?
Answer: Vanity 6
They sang Nasty Girl.
Q9: What is Prince's studio complex in Chanhassen called?
Answer: Paisley Park
It opened in 1987.
Q10: Which Minneapolis group scored the 1980 hit Funkytown?
Answer: Lipps Inc
It reached the top of the charts.

Minneapolis Sound Quiz – Prince, The Time and Funk-Rock

The Minneapolis sound is a style of funk, rock, new wave and synth-pop that took shape in the late 1970s and 1980s, led by Prince. Synthesizers often replaced horn sections, and drum machines added crisp beats.

Prince helped create The Time, fronted by Morris Day, and the girl group Vanity 6. Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were fired in 1983 after a snowstorm kept them from a show, then produced Janet Jackson's Control.

The First Avenue club appears in Purple Rain, and Prince's Paisley Park studio opened in Chanhassen in 1987. Lipps Inc's Funkytown and artists like Sheila E. added to the city's musical fame.

What This Quiz Teaches

Music fans will enjoy these questions.

What the sound is
Who created it
Which bands shaped it
Which producers emerged
Where it was played

Did You Know?

The Linn LM-1 drum machine is part of the sound.
Jesse Johnson played guitar for The Time.
Andre Cymone grew up with Prince.
Mint Condition came from Minneapolis later.
The sound influenced New Jack Swing.