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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Cathy Wurzer and Alanna Elder

Bobby Z talks about 40 years of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ upcoming musical

Prince performing onstage with 3RDEYEGIRL in 2013
Recording artist Prince performs during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller | Getty Images

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Prince’s album “Purple Rain” turned 40 on Tuesday. The man behind the beat of the album, record producer and musician Bobby Rivkin “Bobby Z” joined Minnesota Now.

Rivkin played in Prince’s band, The Revolution, from 1978 to 1976. After Prince’s death in 2016, he and other members of the band reunited and kept performing.

The band played two anniversary shows on Friday and Saturday to commemorate Purple Rain. Some fans who took part in the weekend’s celebrations got a preview of an upcoming musical based on Purple Rain, the film, where Rivkin is serving as a musical advisor for the project.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.