(June 1, 2026) The history of the Minneapolis sound and funk music courses through the music of the Minneapolis Funk All Stars. Prince, the legendary creator of that sound that made Minneapolis music famous, is the band’s connective tissue.
Each Minneapolis Funk All Star member was either discovered by Prince, toured with him, played in a band that Prince put together or appeared in films like “Purple Rain.” That includes St. Paul Peterson, who was discovered by Prince and appeared in “Purple Rain” and became the lead singer of the band The Family, which scored hits in the mid-1980s with “Screams of Passion” and “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
“Gotta Keep the Funk Alive,” the song featured in this First Listen was co-written by a name familiar to Soultrackers – Jason Peterson DeLaire, who toured as a saxophonist and keyboardist during the “Diamonds and Pearls” era…