What Happened to Prince's "Revolution" (Where Are They Now?)

Prince Rogers Nelson, one of the world's biggest stars in music history is known for many things. One of those things happens to be The Revolution-the legendary band of the 1980's that helped crown the Purple One a musical majesty. The band seemed literally overflowing with members. And indeed it was, as the exquisite collection of musicians helped to amplify Prince's over the top live sound. From roughly 1979 to 1986, The Revolution served as the springboard to the superstar's sexy, yet mysterious persona. Purple Rain, clearly the band's best-selling album is the work that propelled The Revolution to fame.

A band crammed with so much talent (and so many strong personalities) was bound to reach a bumpy road or two. Though the The Revolution went through quite a few "awkward" transitions during their reign in the kingdom of pop culture, several names have been singled out over the years. Who was The Revolution? But more than that-what ever happened to the members that made up this extraordinarily colorful band?

Mark Brown(also known as Brown Mark)

Brown Mark (as he was known to the band) played the bass guitar in the Revolution. He left the group in 1986, but has since amped up his musical resume quite a bit. He's worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Salt-n-Pepa, and Sting--and has produced music for quite a few groups. Like many musicians during that time, Brown took a little hiatus-and then returned to music. He has a CD coming out in 2010 called Syx Mil Beach.

Matt "Doctor" Fink

Matt Fink (also known as Doctor Fink) is perhaps the most recognizable member of the band. Noted for his surgeon's stage costumer (amongst others), Fink was the band's resident keyboard player. But in the years since The Revolution he's opened his own recording studio, written music for video games, and is still spreading his brand of "electro funk."

Bobby Z. (aka Robert B. Rivkin)

Some used to say that (visually) Bobby Z was the "white version of Prince." Also known as Robert B. Rivkin, he is the drummer that Prince insisted on having as a way to make sure that his band was completely diversified. Since his departure, he has worked with several artists in the industry (Boy George and Alexander O'Neal, to name a few)-and released a solo album in 1989. But for the most part his whereabouts have been somewhat of a mystery.

Wendy (Melvoin) and Lisa (Coleman)

As far as The Revolution is concerned, these two names are practically inseparable; some people still can't tell them apart. Nonetheless, Lisa Coleman was the piano/keyboard player, while Wendy took to the guitar (a replacement for former guitarist Dez Dickerson.) Both Wendy and Lisa are talented songwriters whose credits are perhaps longer than you might realize. They've never really left the music scene-having taken their piece of the "revolution" along with them in their signature angsty-rock sound.

Wendy & Lisa will perhaps always be considered part of Prince's never-ending "Revolution." Individually, they've gone on to produce, write, and perform songs ever since splitting with the band in 1986. But they've also joined the Purple One on tour, sitting in on a few classic songs.

Miko Weaver

When Prince does something, he does it big. And that includes having one of the biggest sounds of the 1980's. This was greatly achieved with the addition of quite a few guitarists-of which Miko Weaver was one. Weaver was once a member of Sheila E's band and ultimately became a member of The Revolution. Many don't realize that Miko stuck around to tour with Prince even after The Revolution was no more. Weaver played with Prince on both the Lovesexy and Sign O'the Times tours. And according to Weaver's Facebook page, he now resides in Spain where he is DJ'ing and playing small concerts-having switched his main weapon of choice from guitar to the bass.

Susannah Melvoin

With Prince cavorting with a number of exotic beauties over the years, you may have forgotten about Susannah Melvoin--twin sister to guitarist Wendy. The dreamy-eyed back-up singer is perhaps more famous for her relationship with the pint-sized sex symbol than she is for her musical work with The Revolution. Nonetheless, the steamy appeal of "Anotherloverholenyohead" from Prince's Parade album can also be credited to Susannah, as she provided background vocals for this hit song. But since the days of The Revolution, she hasn't exactly faded into the background completely. In fact, she's been featured in a few small budget films and has even co-written songs for Madonna and the legendary Eric Clapton.

Atlanta Bliss (Matthew Blistan) and Eric Leeds

What would Prince and The Revolution's big band sound have been without a bit of the brass? This is where Atlanta Bliss (also known as Matthew Blistan) and Eric Leeds come into the picture. The trumpet and saxophone players respectively, remained staples of Prince's signature sound even after the dissolution of The Revolution-going on to work on Prince's next three albums.

Jerome Benton

When people think of Jerome Benton, they most often recall him doing "The Bird" alongside Morris Day in The Time, a band "assembled" by Prince himself. But many don't realize that Jerome Benton was also a fixture in the Revolution. Jerome (who is also the half-brother of mega-producer Terry Lewis) is perhaps considered the most well-dressed comedic hype man of the 1980s, providing endless on-stage comic relief as well background vocals. Since leaving the Time and Revolution days behind, Benton has briefly reunited with short-lived group The Family (another band formed by Prince) which is now called Fdeluxe--for a charity show in 2003. Fdeluxe, which reformed in 2007, is now planning a comeback with a new CD and tour.

SOURCES:

www.prince.org
www.mtv.com
www.BET.com
www.vh1.com