For over a decade, Morris Hayes was the keyboardist in Prince’s legendary NPG band. Known for their furious live sets that stretched over hours, Mr Hayes has also worked with legends like Maceo Parker, Herbie Hancock and Kanye West. He’ll be taking over the recently opened Glam for their first funk night party.
Congratulations on your upcoming show at Glam. We are very excited to see you in Shanghai. What can people expect from your show?
It’ll be all about music that makes you move. We’re going to have a party full of disco, soul funk and great vibes where everyone can get up, dance and have a good time.
Obviously you’ve performed with a lot of legends like Prince and Maceo Parker. How would you describe the Mr. Hayes sound and what makes it so unique?
The cool thing about working with Prince was that we never hung our heads on one style or one sound. It was very different to most of the others around at the time because ‘we could do them, but they couldn’t do us’.
Mr. Hayes is all about a funky sound. There’s EDM and a strong retro-futuristic current in the music. There are flavors of old school with the flavors of new school, which makes it very fresh. It’s unique because we are the only ones in this creative space at the moment.
While you’ve had a lot of success in your career, you had to struggle for a few years before getting your break. What was the key in your perseverance and what advice do you have for musicians who are going through something similar?
Never give up. If the opportunity strikes, be ready. Hopefully you’ll be ready to jump when the coach puts you in.
You moved to Minnesota in the late 1980s. What was the music scene like there and how would you describe Prince’s reputation within that city during this time?
Crazy, Minneapolis was the music Mecca at the time. Everyone wanted to go from all across the country. There was just something in the water and everyone thought, ‘Let’s go to Minneapolis’.
It was an exciting time for music and it wasn’t just coming from Prince or Jimmy Jam or Terry Lewis. There were new sounds coming from all around and there were exciting venues to play. Everyone was feeling their music, they dressed like that, they looked like that; it was just a really cool era to be in.
You replaced Jimmy Jam in The Time, who is obviously a music icon. Were you nervous at all and what was the Asia tour like?
Super nervous, it was my first big gig. I had played with Mazarati before and I had a record out, but The Time was a big act and to step in for Jimmy Jam really meant something. It was my first real foray into performing music on that level. Jellybean Johnson was a really tough music director and it was the first time I thought, ‘Wow, this is hard’. I had to sing, dance, play and everything had to be on point, but it definitely set me up for what was to come.
The Asia tour was very cool. It was my first really big trip; I had been to Mexico before, but other than that it was my first time out of the U.S. I was very far from home, it was a foreign country and the language was severely different. But other than that it was fun, people knew who we were and apart from a few strange experiences as a black man in Asia, it was really cool.
What was it like being offered a spot in Prince’s NPG band?
It was surreal, of course! I was playing in an opening act with Carmen Electra and she kept saying, ‘He’s got his eyes on you’ and all I could think was, ‘Get out of town, he definitely doesn’t have an eye on me.’ And later that night, we were all in a club and he said ‘What are you doing there grandson, do you need a job?’ and I replied, ‘Sure, I’ll be right over Monday morning to cut your grass.’ He chuckled and said he was serious about me being in the band and I just had this moment of absolute euphoria in the club, I was so excited.
And then when I was leaving the club to go to my car, the fear really hit me and I thought, ‘But wait, now they’re going to know I’m not that great’ and I was just scared to death. I was scared because I had to go through the whole audition process and if I didn’t make it, the entire community would know that I had the opportunity and didn’t take advantage of it.
Prince had only seen me on tour and he had all these killer players, I thought I was in way over my head and that I would never make it. But turns out, I stayed longer than anybody, I was there for 20 years.
What’s the best musical advice he’s given you?
When you’re playing, it’s not a mistake until you stop. In other words, if you’re grooving and something happens, no one will notice unless you stop and give the audience a chance to realize it.
In this one arena show, our guitarist’s battery pack went out in the middle of his solo, but he was so clever and put Prince’s advice to good use. He kept playing, but there was no sound coming from him, so everyone was looking at the soundman making gestures to do something about it. He obviously couldn’t do anything, but everyone thought the guitarist was just wailing away, so the show didn’t stop. It was brilliant; he kept the show going and didn’t let anyone question what was happening.
NPG are legendary for their shows. What was the longest concert you performed?
There were so many; we were known for playing long sets, sometimes four hours and occasionally five hours. But you have to remember that if we had a show, it was an all-day affair. Sound check starts at 3, we play from 4-7, then the show and then the after-show; it was just all part of the deal.
One of the most memorable concerts was when we did seven encores in LA at the Forum. Wembley Stadium was another big one; it was legendary for me, one of those must-dos as a performer. The Super Bowl was also amazing, it was a great show and the biggest production you can have as a musician. We also hold the record for the most people attending a concert because we were fully booked for 21 nights at a 20,000 seat-arena (almost half a million people came). Michael Jackson was going to break the record before his untimely death, so Prince and the NPG still hold the record for that.
Do any concerts stand out as particularly wild?
The wildest concert we had was in Holland where we had particularly bad rental equipment. It was such shabby gear, the guitars, the amps, everything was bad. We couldn’t get the sound right, so Prince came backstage and said, ‘we are going to tear everything up tonight; at the end of the night, everything should be destroyed.’ So we did just that. It was absolute mayhem and the only real rock n’ roll moment for me. Our drummer, who was 300-400 lbs stood up and just demolished the drum kit, the bass player who was a black belt karate-chopped his amp, the other keyboard player threw his keyboard up in the air, it was such a weird feeling! In that moment, I had a real glimpse of what a mob feels like when they’re just about to go crazy. We tore the equipment to pieces and at the end of the night, Prince just cut them a check and we got on the bus.
I had a really difficult time doing it because I know how much that stuff costs, but everybody was so into it and when we got on the bus, I thought, ‘yeah that was cool, let’s break something else!’ Later on, some local guy had asked us if we were really angry at the show, but all I could think was, ‘we just had a moment.’ And even though Prince has broken a few guitars during his performances, it was the only time the whole band destroyed anything.
That was an interesting time for Prince. Do you feel he was misunderstood at the time?
Prince was always misunderstood, some people get it, some people don't. He is really clever and the way he works it and how he words things can throw people off. A lot of the time he’ll say something in a metaphoric way, but others only take it at face value.
And I mean everyone interprets things in different ways. I was around him for 25 years and sometimes I didn’t know what he was talking about, but you just have to be straight up with him. He’s obviously a brilliant cat, he’s gifted with words, but if you don’t pay attention with him you’ll miss the boat.
Did he ever let any of the outside stuff affect the music?
Prince isn’t one to follow others, he’s more of a vanguard. He doesn’t do a lot of following, he’s a leader. In terms of influence, he does like Kate Bush, Adele and other artists that resonate with him, but he’s never really been influenced by the public and certainly has never let the public influence his style of music.
Following your Shanghai show, what are your plans?
I’m going to visit my parents for the holidays and I’m focusing on finishing my work for The Lordz Uv. I want to finish that album, work on a few film scores and I’m working with some other independent artists like Dash Mihok. But mainly I want to focus my energy on Lordz Uv.
Is there anything you would like to add?
After many years of traveling around Asia, it’s my first time in China and I’m grateful to finally be here. Shanghai is an amazing city and it’s remarkable how much modern technology can be intertwined with so much beauty in a massive city. I’m glad to be here surrounded by nice people and looking forward to a good time.
As for the Glam Funk Party, expect a lot of funky grooves and a fast pace. We’ll keep the party moving so we all have a good time.
> Dec 12, 9.30pm, RMB110-130 (RMB388 with dinner at 7.30pm). Glam, see event listing.
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