On Time - by Morris Day (Paperback)

About the Book

Brilliant composer, smooth soul singer, killer drummer, and charismatic band leader, Morris Day, has been a force in American music for the past four decades. In On Time, the renowned funkster looks back on a life of turbulence and triumph. He chronicles his creative process with an explosive prose that mirrors his intoxicating music. Morris' story is a fast-paced page-turner replete with unexpected twists and shocking surprises. A major and fascinating theme is his lifelong friendship and years of musical partnership with Prince, from their early days on the Minneapolis scene to selling out stadiums and duking it out as rivals in Purple Rain. Eventually, Morris went on to release four albums with a new band of his very own, the legendary Time. He battled his addictions and came out victorious. But not before increasing tensions and embittered rivalry between Prince and the Revolution and Morris Day and the Time led the two performers towards separate paths. Through the years, the fierce brotherly love between Morris and Prince kept bringing them back together, over and over again -- until pride, ego, and circumstance interfered. Two months before Prince's untimely death, the two finally reconnected and started to make amends. But Morris could've never imagined it would be the last time he'd ever see his friend again. This is Morris Day's singular story in which the magic of music is the ultimate healer. On Time is also a deep meditation on friendship, Morris' poetic method of reconciling the loss of his close friend and longtime collaborator, and a way to commemorate an incendiary life cut short. But this book is more than just a walk down memory lane -- it's a metaphorical means to bring Prince back to life. Throughout the narrative, Morris allows Prince's "voice" to protect his own legacy, to counter Morris's interpretations of events, and to essentially breathe new life into a tale as old as time -- of two brothers, two bands, and a musical culture that even today pulsates with fresh energy

Book Synopsis

A memoir by Morris Day of The Time centering around his lifelong relationship and association with Prince"A vital, illuminating, and wildly entertaining autobiography." -Billboard

"Great book! Great storytelling!" -LENNY KRAVITZ

"Lean, slick, cooler than Santa Claus, and surprisingly tender, this book not only traces Day's history in Minneapolis funk, but doubles as an intimate recollection of his time with Prince." -BEN GREENMAN, author of Dig If You Will The Picture



Brilliant composer, smooth soul singer, killer drummer, and charismatic band leader, Morris Day has been a force in American music for the past four decades. In On Time, the renowned funkster looks back on a life of turbulence and triumph, chronicling his creative process with an explosive prose that mirrors his intoxicating music.

A major theme throughout the book is Morris's enduring friendship and musical partnership with Prince, from their early days on the Minneapolis scene to selling out stadiums and duking it out as rivals in Purple Rain. Eventually, Morris went on to release four albums with a new band of his very own, The Time; however, before long, increasing tensions between the two performers set them down separate paths. Through the years, the fierce brotherly love between Morris and Prince kept bringing them back together-until pride, ego, and circumstance interfered. Two months before Prince's untimely death, the two finally started to make amends. But Morris never could have imagined it would be the last time he'd ever see his friend again.

Review Quotes

"[An] entertaining memoir... fans of Prince - and The Time - will be thrilled with this insider view."--Publishers Weekly

"[Day]'s quite a vivid storyteller and the Day/Prince interplay not only works, but it keeps things moving forward. At times, it's a challenge to put On Time down."--Twin Cities Pioneer Press

"A breezy, hard-to-put-down book."--Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"A vital, illuminating and wildly entertaining autobiography."--Billboard

"An enticing read... [L]argely a memoir but also, in part, an entertaining commentary."--Soul Tracks

"Fortunately, Morris Day's memoir arrives in the same month as his old friend's. Day grew up a few blocks from Prince and played drums in his first band. The two remained close for decades...Day's book has him in conversation with Prince's ghost, arguing about how to tell the story, and gives us details about Prince that he never got to tell his memoirist...Day has a front-row seat for the life of one of the greatest musicians of all time and his book is a worshipful telling of what Prince's rise looked like from his vantage."--New York Times Book Review

"Great book! Great storytelling!"--Lenny Kravitz

"What if Prince came back and he and Morris got down to settling old scores and giving away secrets? Morris makes it happen, and I devoured this great book!"--Paul Shaffer, author of We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives

"What time is it? It's time for everyone to read Morris Day's memoir. Lean, slick, cooler than Santa Claus, and surprisingly tender, the book not only traces Day's history in Minneapolis funk, but doubles as an intimate recollections of his time with Prince."--Ben Greenman, author of Dig If You Will The Picture: Funk, Sex, God and Genius in the Music of Prince

About the Author

MORRIS DAY is a legendary multiplatinum recording artist, musician, composer, arranger, and singer who is best known as both a solo artist and the lead singer of The Time. He costarred with Prince in the blockbuster Purple Rain. Day resides in Orange County, California.

DAVID RITZ is a Grammy Award winner and the only four-time winner of the Gleason Music Book Award. He won the 2013 ASCAP Award for outstanding musical bio for When I Left Home, written with Buddy Guy. Ritz lives in Los Angeles, California.