EPISODE · Jun 17, 2026 · 55 MIN
As President of Prince's Paisley Park Records, Alan Leeds tried to bridge a relationship between mercurial artist and major corporation. In the final part of the interview he also shares his favourite memories of various artists, including D'Angelo.
from How can U just leave me standing? ...in search of Prince Rogers Nelson. · host Sam Bleazard, Alan Leeds, Gavin Calder
INTRO 3mins - Alan takes on new responsibilities at Paisley Park - from 'off-road road manager' to Vice President of PRN Productions. 7mins - President of Paisley Park Records for 3 years 'until I left'. 10mins30s - Working with George Clinton and Mavis Staples on new records, in a challenging marketplace. 13mins - Differences of opinion on the joint venture with Warner Bros...and the need to provide hits. 15mins - "What made you part company with Prince?" 18mins - "He's got an album every 9 months, that he wants to release..." 20mins - Was Lovesexy a difficult thing to work on, and was it a tour that lost money? 21mins30s - The challenge with the Lovesexy album on U.S. Radio 25mins - Working with D'Angelo...and reminiscing about his live performances. 26mins30s - Alan names his favourite ever tour to work on. 32mins - D'Angelo's struggles with fame, and the celebrity aspect of the music business. 34mins - An extraordinary talent... 39mins - The complicated lives, and legacies, of artists such as James Brown and Prince... 44mins - James Brown's Star Time Box Set liner notes, and a Grammy Award taking pride of place. 48mins - A special memory with Prince and Susan Moonsie...but also D'Angelo. 52mins - Alan's Book...and farewell, for now. How Can U Just Leave Me Standing? In Search of Prince... is produced and arranged by Sam J. Bleazard - but couldn't exist without the fabulous contribution from all of our guests! The show also features significant original music compositions from Gavin Calder. LINKS Please follow me on Instagram and Facebook if you'd like to interact with the show on social media. Email me at: [email protected] if you have any ideas for future episodes, or if you'd like to share any feedback on the show. #prince4ever #love4oneanother
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What this episode covers
Born in Jackson Heights, New York, Alan Leeds is an American music industry legend, as a tour manager and production manager, he is best known for his work organising performances and concert tours for artists such as James Brown, Prince, KISS, Cameo, D'Angelo and Chris Rock. In addition to his career in artist management, he is recognised as an award-winning writer and music archivist, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1992 for his work on the James Brown compilation Star Time. Alan also penned the liner notes for the 1993 Prince box set The Hits/The B-Sides, and co-wrote The James Brown Reader with Nelson George. His music career began as a DJ, before he became involved with James Brown as his publicity director in 1969, and worked as Brown's tour manager from 1970 to 1973. Beginning in 1983, Alan managed tours for Prince during the peak of his commercial and artistic success, notably during the Purple Rain Tour. His work with Prince culminated in him being named as president of Prince's label Paisley Park Records in 1989. Alan's career as a tour manager continued with D'Angelo, managing the successful Voodoo Tour in 2000. This was followed by stints with a variety of other artists, including Raphael Saadiq and The Roots. He has also been involved in the curation of the James Brown: The Singles collections, and has spoken at events commemorating Brown's career and accomplishments. In his personal life Alan has a wife, Gwen, and a son, Tristan. His brother is saxophonist Eric Leeds. In 2020, Leeds released the biographical book, "There Was a Time: James Brown, The Chitlin' Circuit, and Me." And we are absolutely delighted to have him on the 50th episode of our show, Alan welcome...! Our thanks also to Paddy Fang for his help on this interview.
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As President of Prince's Paisley Park Records, Alan Leeds tried to bridge a relationship between mercurial artist and major corporation. In the final part of the interview he also shares his favourite memories of various artists, including D'Angelo.
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