Prince was spotted as an 11-year-old supporting striking Minnesota teachers in 1970 — in archival footage recently unearthed by a TV station reporting a recent strike in the same county.
“I think they should get some extra money because they’re working overtime for us and all that stuff,” the future pop superstar tells a reporter, smiling while surrounded by friends in the April 1970 clip broadcast by WCCO.
The youngster – who was born Prince Rogers Nelson – was recognized by the CBS affiliate’s executive producer, Matt Liddy, who was watching the 13-minute video, which was being restored for a play about a teachers’ strike in March.
“I grew up in Minneapolis, so all I was interested in was looking at cool old buildings from where I grew up. Did I recognize my old school? Did I spot any landmarks?”
His curiosity was piqued when he noticed the boy he believed to be the future Minneapolis pop icon.
Prince performs at halftime during Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007. WireImage
“I immediately went to the newsroom and started showing it to people and saying, ‘I’m not going to tell you who I think that is, but who do you think it is?’ And every single person [said] ‘Prince,'” Liddy told the outlet.
But the reporter never asked the boy his name, so it took a little research to confirm his identity.
Another boy identified himself as Ronnie Kitchen in the clip – but efforts to trace anyone by that name have been unsuccessful.
The 13-minute video was restored for a play about a teachers’ strike in March.WCCO
The break came when the broadcaster found Kristen Zschomler, a professional historian, archaeologist and researcher who also happens to be a fan of the late singer.
“They called him Skipper,” Zschomler told WCCO after showing the broadcaster a family photo of Prince as a toddler. “I have written a large document detailing his historic journey from the north side of Minneapolis to Paisley Park and around the world.”
When she was shown the video of the precocious teenager, she gasped, according to the report.
“I think he is, definitely. Oh my God! Yes, I think that’s definitely Prince,” said Zschomler. “This definitely looks like Lincoln Junior High School, where he would have gone to school in April 1970.”
The reporter never asked the boy his name, so it took a little research to confirm Prince’s identity. WCCO
She added: “There’s so much in his mannerisms and his eyes and everything that makes it look like him.”
The Prince connoisseur then linked the TV channel to Terrance Jackson, a childhood friend and former neighbor who was also in the singer’s first band, Grand Central, as a teenager.
“We go way back as a kindergarten at John Hay Elementary in north Minneapolis,” Jackson told WCCO.
“Oh my god, this is Kitchen,” Jackson exclaimed. “This is prince! Stand up right there with the hat up, right? This is Skipper! Oh my God!”
Prince was recognized by the head of production at CBS affiliate WCCO
He said he was “absolutely overwhelmed” by the sight of his former boyfriend, who died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57 from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
“By then he was already phenomenal at playing guitar and keyboards,” Jackson said. “Music became our sport. Because he was athletic, I was athletic, but we wanted to compete musically.”
Zschomler said, “I think just seeing Prince as a little kid at his neighborhood school really helps him cement that connection with Minneapolis.
“Although these are only glimpses of what Minneapolis meant to him, what he championed while living in Minneapolis, it only helps to understand the symbiotic connection he had with his hometown,” he added .