First Avenue in Minneapolis began life in 1937 as a Greyhound bus depot, an unlikely start for one of America's most storied music venues. It became a concert hall in 1970, with Joe Cocker opening, and by the mid 1970s was a blue collar disco with purple shag carpet matching the Vikings colors.

Disco gave way to live music, with the Ramones and Pat Benatar taking the stage, and it became one of the only downtown venues where Black musicians could perform. In 1983, Prince and the Revolution recorded Purple Rain here, making the club a landmark. His star still hangs by the door, gilded in gold leaf, and when he died, ten thousand mourners filled the block for three sleepless nights.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace Prince's rise through Minneapolis, from the guitar shop where he first dreamed of stardom to the club where that dream became a legend.