Dez Dickerson
| Dez Dickerson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Desmond D'andrea Dickerson |
| Born |
August 7, 1955 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Funk rock, pop rock, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, musician |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Associated acts | Prince, The Revolution |
| Website | www |
Dez Dickerson (born August 7, 1955) is an American guitarist and singer who was a member of Prince's former band, The Revolution.
Dickerson was born in 1955 as Desmond D'andrea Dickerson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A veteran of numerous Minneapolis rock bands, Dickerson answered Prince's call for a touring musician in the Twin Cities Reader, a local entertainment paper, in 1979. After a 15 minute audition in the back of Del's Tire Mart, Dickerson was picked as guitarist. In 1980 when off the road for Christmas break, Dickerson had a profound conversion experience and became a born-again Christian. Afterwards, performing songs with sexual themes began to trouble his conscience. Even though Dickerson's and Prince's popularity were growing, he desired more and more to quit the band. He contributed songs for Prince's side projects, writing "He's So Dull" for Vanity 6, and co-writing "Wild And Loose", "After Hi School", and "Cool" for The Time. Dickerson contributed vocals to "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" on the 1999 album, as well as the guitar solo for "Little Red Corvette" that ranked #64 on Guitar World's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
Following the 1999 tour, Dickerson left the band to pursue other options. He was replaced by Wendy Melvoin.
After leaving the Revolution, Dickerson formed his own short-lived band, the Modernaires, and toured in support of Billy Idol on his 1984 Rebel Yell tour, frequently joining Idol onstage. Dickerson appeared in the movie Purple Rain with the Modernaires, but their song was not released as a single nor on the Purple Rain soundtrack. A solo recording deal failed to materialize, and in 1987 Dickerson relocated to Nashville to back singer Judson Spence. He also kept busy with session work and producing other artists.
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