American funk band formed in Minneapolis in 1981 by Prince and Morris Day. Original lineup: Day (vocals), Jesse Johnson (guitar), Terry Lewis (bass), Jimmy Jam (keyboards), Monte Moir (keyboards), and Jellybean Johnson (drums). Prince produced and wrote most of the band's early material.
Four studio albums in the original run: The Time (1981), What Time Is It? (1982), Ice Cream Castle (1984), and Pandemonium (1990). Jam and Lewis launched a successful production career after departing the band in 1983; they became one of the most successful R&B production teams of the 1980s and '90s. The band reunited in 2008 as the Original 7ven.
