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Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImageGrammy-award winning producer and musician Jimmy Jam, best-known by most as a member of The Time, met Prince in junior high school, and later served both as a mentor and touring partner to the music legend, who died Thursday at age 57. Like so many who worked with Prince, he has fond memories of his friend.
“Prince was an interesting guy to work for because he demanded a lot from you,” Jimmy told ABC News. “But the interesting thing that I learned was that he never asked for more from you that he was willing to give. And I always say that the biggest lesson that Prince ever taught me was work ethic but he didn’t do it by telling me to work hard, he did it by showing.”
As for Prince’s legacy, Jam says it’s all about the skills. “For me, he’s the greatest musician, just pure musician, that I’ve ever experienced,” says Jimmy. ‘Cause he could do it all and he could even…Prince would take the instrument from you and play it better. I thought I was a good drummer when I was a kid. He hopped behind the drum set and after he was done, I didn’t even wanna go behind the drum set anymore.”
Jimmy says now that Prince is gone, his reputation will only continue to grow: “I think that very much in the way that there was a newfound appreciation for the genius of Michael Jackson after his passing, I think we will see the same thing with Prince.”
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