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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Prince’s parents were Minneapolis musicians John Lewis Nelson, a pianist and bandleader, and Mattie Della Shaw, a singer. They met through John’s band, the Prince Rogers Trio, and named their son after John’s stage name. Their story places music in Prince’s early family life without reducing his later artistry to his parents’ influence.
Who were Prince’s parents?
John Lewis Nelson, usually called John L. Nelson, was a Minneapolis pianist and bandleader. Mattie Della Shaw was a singer who performed with his group, the Prince Rogers Trio. Their son, Prince Rogers Nelson, was born in Minneapolis on June 7, 1958, according to the City of Minneapolis music history report and the Prince Estate’s account of his early years.
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The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince | $23.35 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Prince (Deluxe Hardbound Edition) (Fingerprint Classics) | $10.92 | Buy on Amazon |
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How did John Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw meet?
The Prince Estate says they met at Minneapolis’s Blue Note jazz club, where John was playing and recruited Mattie to sing with his group. Their professional connection became a romantic one. The Prince Rogers Trio played around Minneapolis, making music part of the family’s world before Prince was born.
Prince later recalled being fascinated by his father’s piano. The Estate quotes his memoir, The Beautiful Ones: “There were 2 Princes in the house where we lived.” The line refers to John’s stage name and the name given to his son; it offers a glimpse of the household’s musical context, not a complete explanation of Prince’s own artistic development.
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What did Prince’s father do, and was his mother a singer?
John L. Nelson
John was a pianist and bandleader who led the Prince Rogers Trio. “Prince Rogers” was his stage name, and it became the inspiration for his son’s name.
Mattie Della Shaw
Mattie sang with John’s group after he recruited her at the Blue Note. The available account supports describing her as a singer in the trio; it does not establish that her career alone shaped Prince’s later music.
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When did they marry, and how did Prince get his name?
The Prince Estate gives John and Mattie’s wedding date as August 31, 1957. Their son was born on June 7, 1958. The Estate says they named him Prince Rogers after John’s stage name.
The Minneapolis report notes that “Roger” appears on the birth certificate. That record spelling differs from the commonly used “Rogers” in Prince’s name; it is a small documentary variation, not evidence of a different name or person.
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What is known about the family’s later history?
The Prince Estate says Mattie later remarried Hayward Baker and that Prince had difficulty adjusting to his stepfather. The City of Minneapolis report also discusses the parents’ separation or divorce and family circumstances, but family timelines and later recollections do not always align. It is best not to assign a single definitive date or cause to the marriage’s breakdown without a source tied to that specific claim.
The city report documents the family’s Minneapolis setting during Prince’s infancy and refers to household records that mention Alfred Jackson Jr. Those records should not be used to infer a relationship beyond what the report establishes. The Associated Press identifies Tyka Nelson as the daughter of John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw and Prince’s only full sibling in its 2024 report on her death.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you read Prince’s own account?
Prince’s memoir, The Beautiful Ones, written with Dan Piepenbring, is a first-person follow-up for readers interested in his memories of family and childhood. The publisher’s page is available from Macmillan. The Prince Estate also attributes the quoted line above to the memoir.
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