Prince (September 15, 1978) – Prince In-Store Appearance at Record Factory, Oakland

Advertisement for Prince’s personal appearance and autograph signing at the Record Factory in Oakland, California, on Saturday, September 16, 1978, from 3 PM to 5 PM. The ad promotes his debut album For You and highlights that he “produced, arranged, composed and performs on his first album.”

Publication: Oakland Tribune Date: Friday, September 15, 1978 Country: United States Location: Oakland, California Section: Entertainment / Concert & Appearance Promotio

THE STORY

The ad is paired with an Al Jarreau in-store event earlier that same day (1–3 PM). It features photos of both artists and describes Prince as “nothing short of amazing,” while promoting the single “Soft and Wet” from For You.

CONTEXT AND NOTES

This is an extremely early promotional appearance for Prince, just five months after the release of his debut album For You (April 1978). At age 20, he was doing grassroots in-store signings to build a fanbase on the West Coast while still relatively unknown nationally. The event occurred the day after this ad ran.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Prince in-store autograph signing / meet-and-greet

Era: Very early career (For You album promotion)

Tone: Enthusiastic promotional hype Photography: Two black-and-white photos — one of Al Jarreau and one of Prince playing guitar

Visual Motifs: Classic 1970s newspaper ad layout with bold “APPEARING IN PERSON!” headline

WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS

• Prince’s early promotional efforts in the Bay Area

• Confirmation of the exact date, time, and location of this rare 1978 in-store event

• Continued push for his debut album and single “Soft and Wet”

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RELATED MATERIAL

This follows the May 14, 1978 negative review of For You in the Nevada State Journal and precedes his 1980 touring activity.

For other relevant posts, see the tags at the foot of the page.

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