Morris Day, of ’80s funk band, The Time, fame, said Prince’s Estate blocked him from performing under the group’s name.
The 64-year-old musician took to Instagram to express his disappointment via a very lengthy post on Thursday, Mar. 3.
“I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with; a name that, while he was alive, he had no problem with me using,” he wrote. “I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing value to that name. In fact, [Prince] booked me several tours and many jam-packed nights at Paisley Park, under the name Morris Day & The Time.”
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Paisley Park was Prince’s Chanhassen, Minnesota home, which housed his state-of-the-art recording studio and also served as a concert space for 30 years until he died on Apr. 21, 2016. His legendary living quarters was later transformed into a museum, and on Oct. 8., it was opened to the public. Day reportedly performed there numerous times, as he was one of Prince’s longtime collaborators and friends.
The Illinois-native opened for Prince for decades alongside The Time. They made their debut on the big screen for the pop star’s iconic film Purple Rain in 1984 as themselves. However, he claimed that those in control of the late artist’s Estate desired to “rewrite history” by taking his band’s name away from him.
“Not once [did he ever say] that I couldn’t use that name configuration. However, now that Prince is no longer with us, the people who control his multi-million dollar estate want to rewrite history by taking my name away from me, thus impacting how I feed my family. So as of now, per the Prince estate, I can no longer use Morris Day & The Time in any capacity.”
Morris Day & The Time released three Prince-produced albums in the 1980s: The Time (1982), What Time Is It? (1982), and Ice Cream Castle (1984). Their hit song, “Jungle Love” and “The Bird” appeared in Purple Rain.
Prince’s Estate subsequently released a statement in response to Day’s claims, saying they were surprised about his post.
“Given Prince’s longstanding history with Morris Day and what the Estate thought were amicable discussions, the Prince Estate was surprised and disappointed to see his recent post,” they reportedly said. “The Estate is open to working proactively with Morris to resolve this matter. However, the information that he shared is not entirely accurate.”
On Thursday, Mar. 2, Day reportedly rejected their claims, by revealing the Estate’s letter to him in December 2021.
“Accordingly, Mr. Day has no right to use or register ‘The Time’ in any form,” the Prince Estate’s attorneys wrote in the letter. “That includes use and registration of the trademark ‘Morris Day and the Time.'” They also cited an agreement from 1982, in which the frontman allegedly agreed that Prince’s company would own the rights to The Time’s name.
The following day, on Friday on Mar. 3, he took to Instagram again, to thank his supporters for sticking beside him amid his current situation.
“I want to thank everyone for their thoughts & support regarding this estate matter. I felt all of your love and energy yesterday, and I look forward to your continued support until we find resolve. Thank you!!”
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He concluded with the caption, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper. #thankyou.”
Prince’s estate has not yet released another statement regarding Day’s allegations.
