Kiowa Trail Home Studio

Kiowa Trail Home Studio

Overview & History

The Kiowa Trail Home Studio was the studio in the Kiowa Trail home on Lake Riley where Prince moved in December 1980 or early January 1981 and lived in until November 1985. This house is also known as the 'purple house' as Prince had it painted that color when he moved in there, it was originally cream colored.

The two-story ranch-style split level house was situated at 9401 Kiowa Trail, Chanhassen, Minnesota. Later Prince also purchased a lot next to it (9411 Kiowa Trail) to gain more privacy.

Studio

The studio was situated on the ground floor of the house, downstairs right from the front door in what formerly was a family room. On the other side on this floor was Prince’s master bedroom. The studio was spacier than Prince’s previous home studio North Arm Drive Home Studio, in a rented house in Orono, Minnesota. It featured the equipment brought in from there, including the 16-track Soundcraft 200 recording unit. In May 1982 Prince had a 24-track Soundcraft 3B console installed. An Ampex MM1200 2-inch tape recorder was used for recording.

The control room was pretty much full-blown and had big speakers. The recording units were fairly small, more like small booths. An acoustic Yamaha piano upstairs in the living room, directly above the studio was wired to the studio, so Prince could record himself.

Some of The Time’s song from the eponymous titled first album were among the first recorded in the Kiowa Trail home studio. Little Red Corvette was the first song recorded on the new 24 track console.

Material Produced

Music

Albums

The following albums have been recorded at the Kiowa Trail Home Studio in whole or part. Check album pages for details.

Prince:

• Controversy
• 1999
• Purple Rain
• Sign O’ The Times
• Dream Factory (unreleased)
• Crystal Ball (unreleased)
• Roadhouse Garden (unreleased)

Associated Artists:

• Vanity 6: Vanity 6
• Apollonia 6: Apollonia 6
• The Time: The Time
• The Time: What Time Is It?

Songs

The following songs have been recorded at Kiowa Trail Home Studio:

Click the "show" link on the right to show this section.

You can sort the songs listed below per "Title" or "Year". Title Year Work produced 17 Days 1983 Basic tracking 1999 1982 Basic tracking 777-9311 1982 Basic tracking After Hi School 1981 Basic tracking Ain’t Too Proud To Beg 1983-1984 Basic tracking Annie Christian 1981 Basic tracking Baby I’m A Star 1981-1982 Basic tracking Bite The Beat 1982 Basic tracking Boom, Boom (Can’t U Feel The Beat Of My Heart) 1982 Basic tracking Broken 1981 Basic tracking Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got 1982 Basic tracking Cold Coffee And Cocaine 1983 rehearsal recording Commercial 1981 Controversy 1981 Basic tracking Cool 1981 Basic tracking Dancin’ Flu 1981 Darling Nikki 1983 Basic tracking Dear Uncle George 1981 Delivery Boy 1981 Do Me, Baby 1981 Basic tracking Don’t Let Him Fool Ya 1982 Basic tracking Drive Me Wild 1981 Basic tracking Electric Intercourse 1983 Basic tracking Electrocution 1983 Basic tracking Extraloveable 1983 Additional recording (assumed) Father’s Song 1983 Basic tracking Feel U Up 1981 Basic tracking Forever Mine 1981 Fox Trap 1982 Basic tracking Friction 1981 Basic tracking G-Spot 1983 Basic tracking Get It Up 1981 Basic tracking Girl O’ My Dreams 1982 Basic tracking Girl 1982 Basic tracking Girl (The Time song) 1981 Basic tracking Grace 1982 Vocal overdubs Gym Class 1981(assumed) Basic tracking Hard To Get 1981 re-recording (assumed) He’s So Dull 1982 Basic tracking Heart Attack 1981(assumed) Basic tracking Horny Toad 1982 Basic tracking Hump You 1981 I Can’t Figure It Out 1981 I Don’t Wanna Leave You 1982 Basic tracking I Need A Man 1981(assumed) Basic tracking If A Girl Answers (Don’t Hang Up) 1982 Basic tracking If You See Me 1982 Re-recording (Prince version, as Do Yourself A Favor) Irresistible Bitch 1981 Basic tracking (unreleased version) Jealous Girl 1981 Basic tracking Jerk Out 1981 Basic tracking Katrina’s Paper Dolls 1983 Basic tracking Kiss Me Quick 1981(assumed) Basic tracking Little Red Corvette 1982 Basic tracking Lust U Always 1982 Basic tracking Make-Up 1981-1982 Basic tracking / Vocal overdubs May I Introduce My Sex To Yours? 1983 Basic tracking Mia Bocca 1982 Basic tracking Mink Kitty Cat 1981 Modernaire 1983 Basic tracking Money Don’t Grow On Trees 1982 Basic tracking Money 1983 Basic tracking Moral Majority 1982 Basic tracking My Baby Knows 1982 Basic tracking Nasty Girl 1982 Basic tracking New Position 1982 Basic tracking No Call U 1982 Basic tracking Oh, Baby 1981 Re-recording for The Time Onedayi’mgonnabesomebody 1982 Basic tracking Orgasm 1983 (see Vibrator) Pizza 1981 Basic tracking Poppa Grooves 1981 Basic tracking Possessed 1983 Basic tracking Promise To Be True 1983 Basic tracking Purple Music 1982 Basic tracking Rain 1981 Basic tracking Raspberry Beret 1982 Basic tracking (unreleased version) Rearrange 1981 Basic tracking Ronnie, Talk To Russia 1981 Basic tracking See U Dead 1981 Basic tracking Sex Shooter 1983 Basic tracking Sexuality 1981 Basic tracking Slow Love 1984 Basic tracking Strange Relationship 1982 Basic tracking Strange Way 1981 Basic tracking Susan 1981 Teacher, Teacher 1982 Basic tracking The Rain And You 1981 Basic tracking The Second Coming 1981 Basic tracking The Stick 1981 Basic tracking There’s Something I Like About Being Your Fool 1981 Basic tracking Tick, Tick, Bang 1981 Basic tracking (unreleased version) Too Much 1982 Basic tracking Vagina 1981-1982 Basic tracking Vibrator 1983 Basic tracking Wednesday 1983 Basic tracking Wet Dream Cousin 1983 Basic tracking Wet Dream 1981-1982 Basic tracking / Vocal overdubs Why The Butterflies 1983 rehearsal recording Wonderful Ass 1983 Basic tracking Yah, U Know 1982 Basic tracking You Should Be Mine 1982 Basic tracking You’re My Love 1982 Basic tracking

Trivia

• Prince’s father, John L. Nelson, moved into the Kiowa Trail 'purple house' when Prince moved to his new home on Galpin Blvd. After John L.’s death in 2001 the house was demolished in mid-March 2003, but Prince retained ownership of the lot until his own death in 2016.