The Late Movies: In Honor of a New Prince (or Princess), Six "Purple Rain" Covers


In case you've been living on Mars, in a cave, with your fingers in your ears, let me clue you in to the biggest news of the week: Prince William and his royal lady Kate are expecting a baby! No word yet on the gender of the child, but it seems like as good a time as any to pay tribute to the most famous Prince of all: the Artist Formerly Known As. (Though, I think currently, we're allowed to call him Prince again.) Here, six excellent covers of his penultimate hit, "Purple Rain."
Etta James
Etta James sang the song on her 2006 album “All the Way.”
LeAnn Rimes
In 1998, country star LeAnn Rimes included a cover of the song on her album “Sittin' on Top of the World.” She also performed it regularly on tour.
Darius Rucker
The Hootie and the Blowfish singer performed the song at this show in Greensboro to a crowd of very excited fans.
Natasha Bedingfield
The British pop sensation sang a sultrier-than-usual version of the song in this video.
Phish
And now for something completely different, the jam band version of “Purple Rain.”
Tom Jones
The iconic singer teamed up with David Gilmour for their rendition in 1992.