Morris Day
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Morris Day (born December 13, 1957, in Springfield, Illinois) is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the charismatic lead singer of The Time, a band that also launched the careers of famous producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
Career
Jam & Lewis, founders of The Time, selected Day as their band's frontman because of his professional association with Prince, in the hopes that he would broaden their group's appeal. He stayed on in this role until the breakup of the band in the 1990s.
Their most prolific and visible period came during the 1980s when Day played the antagonist to Prince in his film musicals, which helped establish Day's playboy stage presence. Typically escorted by his manservant, "Jerome" (Jerome Benton), Day won fans with his exaggerated vanity ("Jerome bring me my mirror!") and strutting bravado, acting as a comic foil to Prince's romantic, sensitive lead. This persona was further exploited for comic effect on The Time's records, on songs such as "Chili Sauce" and "If The Kid Can't Make You Come" from the album Ice Cream Castle.
That album, the group's most popular, is best remembered for the infectious singles "Jungle Love" and "The Bird". With their palpable pop energy and catchy choruses, both songs were huge hits on both Urban and Pop radio. But it wasn't until 1990,when the Time scored a #1 R&B hit with'"Jerk Out" (a Dance/New Jack Cut from their 3rd album: Pandemonium. This album also featured the original members of the band. From that high point, Day's success began to wane in the 1990s. With the breakup of his band, the mediocre sales of his solo records, and the general decline of Prince's popularity, Day's public visibility and creative output waned considerablity.
In 1990, he formed his own girl band (not unlike Prince's Vanity/Apollonia 6) called The Day Zs.
Today, he remains a popular concert draw, fronting a revamped lineup of The Time. Though few original members of the group remain, Day continues to employ "Jerome" in his stage shows and the comic scenes the two act out together are typically the highlight of a Time performance.
Though he had continued to act in films from time to time in small parts (Richard Pryor's Moving being a brief but memorable turn), Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, performing "Jungle Love" and dancing with the movie's stars in the movie's coda.
Discography
- The Color of Success (Warner Bros., 1985)
- Daydreaming (Warner Bros., 1987)
- Guaranteed (Reprise, 1992)
- It's About Time (Hollywood, 2004)