SAPPHIRE PRIDE, the fifth single from the long-awaited album PRAIRIE PRINCE COLOURS and PASSIONS, is available on your favorite platform.
Stream the single now.
SAPPHIRE PRIDE credits
Prairie Prince – Vocal, Traps, Log Drum, Bamboo, Water Gong, Wave Drum
Chris von Sneidern – Samples
Jennifer Burnes – Bass Guitar
Jim Thomas – Guitar
Diana Mangano – Siren Vocal
Ralph Carney – Tenor Sax, Vocal
The True Story of SAPPHIRE PRIDE
After my dear sister Helen passed from many years fighting nuclear palsy/Parkinson’s disease, there was a wake and send off for her out under the Golden Gate Bridge into the wide Pacific per her last request. Family and friends boarded a memorial craft supplied with flower petals and her ashes, to scatter out in the wind and down into the Sapphire sea. This track is an ode to her legacy and embraces the grand love and admiration for my sister with her love for the Colour Sapphire (her birth stone) and the mighty blue ocean. Passions were many and deeply attributed in her personality. Pride dominated them in her strength and dedication to work, art, research, and family. Continuing the composition’s theme around water, the pride of the ocean, and my early admiration for surf music where I honed my early drumming techniques listening to Dick Dale and The Ventures. I engaged my colleagues Jennifer Burnes and Jim Thomas from the Mermen to collaborate on the finale of the suite; recorded by Chris von Sneidern in his tiny Tape Vault Studio crammed together like in a submarine. In one if my many travels to exotic destinations, a trip to the South Pacific Island of Bora Bora was arranged by Dana Magnin, the new bride of our host, the self-proclaimed king, Tautu Tautaha whose mother was once a Tahitian queen. The drumming experienced there inspired homage in Polynesian rhythms used with pride in connecting the sections of this composition. The piece is about the ever-changing oceans, salvation of sea life, and all that encompass it. Song and cries of whales can be heard here. For the late Ralph Carney of Tom Waits fame, homage is made with his voice and horn of a sea shanty past.
SAPPHIRE PRIDE Lyrics
Sapphire
Azure
Powder blue
Ultramarine
(oh, ah, ooh, ah)
Pride blue
Helen lives amongst the waves
Sapphire ripples and mermaids’ nipples bounce and bob to the beat
The ancient Tahitian call, Rapa Nui
Bora Bora 2020
Tautaha, Tautu, Tautaha
Rose petals drift ashore to rest on sapphire glass and
To command orders from the Royal Navy horn, revelry for miles
The osprey floats in the air on a prayer
Olympic range of azure smiles on her sapphire soul
Bowling with Ralph Carney, down at the Pacific Sea Bowl
Prairie Prince!
(Primal scream)
Join me on TalkShopLive, Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 7pm ET for an interview about my debut solo album “Prairie Prince Colours and Passions.”
The ambitious project—ten years in the making and featuring 50 musicians across 14 tracks—pays homage to spoken word legend Ken Nordine’s landmark 1966 album “Colors.”
We’ll talk about the making of the album, the songs and some of my friends that played on it including Todd Rundgren, Journey’s Ross Valory, Dead Kennedys Jello Biafra and Buckethead to name a few.
I’ll be answering questions from you. And as my way of saying thanks for buying, each CD & vinyl purchased will come with an autographed insert from me.
Thursday, March 5 at 7pm ET on TalkShopLive. Colours and Passions – see you there!
“COLOURS AND PASSIONS” – A DECADE IN THE MAKING TRIBUTE TO KEN NORDINE’S “COLORS” — RELEASE DATE MARCH 20, 2026
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE on Vinyl, CD, and digital.
10 years, 50 musicians, 20 drums, 14 tracks, Colours and Passions, the debut solo album by acclaimed drummer Prairie Prince takes up where the original record by spoken word legend Ken Nordine left off.
DENVER, CO / SAN FRANCISCO, CA – February 2, 2026 – After a lifetime behind the drums for some of rock’s most iconic acts, Prairie Prince steps into the spotlight with his debut solo album, “Colours and Passions,” releasing March 20, 2026, on Label 51 Recordings. The ambitious project—ten years in the making and featuring 50 musicians across 14 tracks—pays homage to spoken word legend Ken Nordine’s landmark 1966 album “Colors.”
Recorded at the historic site of Wally Heider’s Studios in San Francisco, where Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young captured their classic sounds, “Colours and Passions” represents an imaginative fusion of percussion artistry and collaborative improvisation. Each track explores a specific color and its emotional resonance, creating what Prince describes as an almost Jungian journey through the collective subconscious.
“I started off with drum tracks and then added different percussion,” Prince explains. “I would have other people put some bass or some guitar and tried to follow whatever melodies they made up on top, trying to make songs you could actually sing. Chords and keys I don’t know much about—I’m a drummer.”
THE JOURNEY FROM WORD JAZZ TO COLOURS AND PASSIONS
Prairie Prince first encountered Ken Nordine’s work as a youth through his older sisters, who introduced him to the Chicago voiceover artist’s beatnik-era spoken word albums “Word Jazz” and “Son of Word Jazz.” Nordine’s original “Colors” featured thirty-four individual tracks, each devoted to a specific color. Prince’s “Colours and Passions” concentrates on fourteen shades that spoke directly to the drummer’s imagination and experience.
The recording process, interrupted by the pandemic, unfolded organically over more than a decade. Much of the album was improvised on the spot, with Prince’s percussion work serving as the foundation for contributions from an extraordinary roster of collaborators including Todd Rundgren, Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Ross Valory (Journey), Chris von Sneidern (The Flamin’ Groovies), members of The Tubes, and gonzo guitarist Buckethead.
The album will be accompanied by drawings of the drums used on each track, created by Prince himself—a visual artist as accomplished as he is a musician.
A LEGENDARY CAREER BEHIND THE KIT
Prairie Prince’s résumé reads like a who’s who of rock history. Beyond his work with The Tubes and the Todd Rundgren band, he was the original drummer in Journey and belonged to Jefferson Starship for several years. As one of Northern California’s most sought-after session drummers, he has recorded with Chris Isaak, Tom Waits, George Harrison, Dick Dale, and countless others.
With his creative partner Michael Cotten of The Tubes, Prince has designed and built stage sets for Bette Midler, Billy Joel, and NSYNC. The duo worked with choreographer Kenny Ortega on the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Super Bowl XXX halftime show with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” show, and numerous Las Vegas spectacles. Their mural of flying record albums hovered over the A&M Records lot in Hollywood for many years.
SINGLES ROLLING OUT TO ALBUM RELEASE
Label 51 Recordings has been rolling out singles from “Colours and Passions” in advance of the March 2026 album release:
The fourth single, “FLESH TERROR,” tackles themes of racial violence and segregation with a tempo that gradually accelerates from largo through presto, climaxing with a musical implosion. The track features Chris von Sneidern on samples, Bobby Strickland on flute, and Buckethead on acoustic and electric guitar, with comedian Neil Hamburger making a surprise appearance.
About Label 51 Recordings Label 51 Recordings is reimagining the music industry through artist-first principles and community-driven ownership models.
Fan Ownership Opportunity Label 51 Recordings is currently conducting a fan-funding campaign on Wefunder, offering fans the opportunity to become actual co-owners of the label. Unlike traditional crowdfunding rewards, investors receive equity stakes in the company, aligning their interests with the label’s success. The campaign represents a new model for independent music, where fans can directly support and benefit from the artists they believe in.
“We’re building something different – a label where artists keep their masters and fans can own a piece of the company,” Zicklin said. “It’s about disrupting the traditional music industry model and creating genuine partnerships with both artists and music lovers.”
For more information about investing in Label 51 Recordings, visit https://wefunder.com/label51recordings.
Contact: Andy Zicklin | Label 51 Recordings | andy@label51recordings.com |www.label51recordings.com
For high-resolution images, additional information, or interview requests, please contact Label 51 Recordings.
PRAIRIE PRINCE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
FLESH TERROR, the fourth single from the long-awaited album PRAIRIE PRINCE COLOURS and PASSIONS, is available on your favorite platform.
STREAM the single now.
FLESH TERROR credits
Prairie Prince – Vocal, Click, Traps, Dumbek
Chris von Sneidern – Samples
Buckethead – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Bobby Strickland – Flute
Neil Hamburger – Joke (Black, White, & Red, Flesh)
The True Story of FLESH TERROR
Initially and truly inspired by Ken Nordine’s take on his version of the color “Flesh” verse, I expounded the idea more about racial commentary and violent issues caused by misunderstanding the reasons for segregation between humans and the colour of people’s skin. In the climate turmoil created by supremacy and racism, the track begins with a tempo largo, ever so gradually increasing in beats-per-minute thru presto, climaxing with implosion of the Hall of the Mountain King, hence the current state of the union. Beginning the track with full traps and percussion, to an accelerating click track, Chris von Sneidern worked the samples, while Bobby Strickland played the flute with terrifying authority screams. Brian Carroll (aka Buckethead) introduces the track, plucking a tender ode on acoustic guitar, then accompanying interpretations of terror with fierce calisthenics on his renowned electric tears guitar, all the while wearing his masked disguise within the recording vault of terror. The observance of Trump in the lyric is obviously a statement of my disdain for the man and his loss of respect for humanity in his own towers of hell, placing all the blame on him.
FLESH TERROR Lyrics
FLESH
THE COLOUR OF FLESH
FLESH
BLACK, YELLOW, RED, WHITE, ROSE MADDER
FLESH TERROR
THE OUTSIDER, THE ONE WHO DARES TO BE DIFFERENT
THE CLIMATE OF TERROR
A CHILD DIES UNEXPECTEDLY
HAVOC BREAKS OUT
THE BLAME HAS TO BE LAID ON SOMEBODY
SCREAMS THE FLUTE
OUT OF ORDER! OUT OF ORDER!
ALL HOLES SPITTING ALARM
100 DAYS
1,000 DAYS
A MILLION DAYS
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS AND BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DAYS
LIVING IN THE TOWER OF TRUMP TERROR!
RESIST! RESIST THE HELL ON EARTH
INSIST, INSIST ON TRIBAL BIRTH
TAKE THE BODY TO THE RIVER
DROWNED IN FEAR AND TERROR
ALL COLOURS OF FLESH
FLUSH OUT!
BLACKOUT
YELLOW IS NOT SO MELLOW
IN THE FIGHT
DEEP RED SKIN NEVER SEE THE LIGHT
ALL FLESH
ALL FLESH
ALL THE FLESH
ALL COLOURS
ONE FLESH
(COUGH)
WHAT’S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER?
THE LYRIC SHEET TO JOHN LENNON’S PLASTIC ONO BAND ALBUM
HA HA
YEAH
