Pounding his way into rock history, Vivian Martin Prince emerged as one of the most influential and famously unpredictable drummers of the 1960s British music scene. Born on August 9, 1941, in Loughborough, England, Prince was initially exposed to music through his father, Harry Prince, who played in a local jazz band. Although he first learned guitar, Prince eventually gravitated toward drums, establishing himself as a formidable talent while still balancing a brief career as a tax officer.
Prince’s professional music journey began in 1961 when he joined Lennie Baldwin’s Dauphin Street Six, a traditional jazz outfit with whom he toured Denmark and recorded in 1962. His career gained momentum after returning to London following permit issues during a German tour, where he quickly established himself as an in-demand session musician.
In 1963, he recorded with Carter-Lewis and the Southerners on their hit single “Your Momma’s Out of Town,” which also featured a young Jimmy Page.
The drummer’s most significant impact came during his brief but memorable 18-month tenure with The Pretty Things beginning in 1964. Prince’s extroverted and unorthodox style helped define the band’s raw, anarchic sound on their first two albums, “The Pretty Things” and “Get the Picture?” released in 1965.
His wild stage antics and eccentric behavior not only generated publicity for the group but fundamentally changed expectations for rock performances. The drummer was notorious for a disastrous tour of New Zealand where his outrageous behavior led to parliamentary debates about banning rock musicians from the country. After his departure from The Pretty Things due to his unreliable behavior, Prince ran Knuckles club in Soho, which became an important venue in London’s music scene.
Prince gained additional fame as the first British rock musician to face drug-related charges, cementing his reputation as a pioneer of rock excess. His flamboyant approach to drumming and performance directly influenced contemporaries, most significantly Keith Moon of The Who, who adopted elements of Prince’s theatrical style.
Throughout the early 1960s, Prince remained highly sought after for session work across jazz, pop, and rock genres. Unlike many drummers who later suffered from repetitive strain injuries, Prince’s unconventional technique somehow preserved his playing ability despite his chaotic style. Despite being approached by bands like The Kinks, he chose The Pretty Things as his primary musical outlet.
Prince’s technical skill, combined with his theatrical presence, helped redefine British rock drumming and established a template for the wild rock star persona that would dominate music for decades to come. Though he never followed a conventional practice routine, drummers today can still learn from his innovative style by focusing on technical skill development while maintaining their unique musical expression.
