We're already preparing ourselves emotionally for the slew of all-star Prince tributes to come in the next several months.
A-listers will feel inspired to cover songs from his intimidating body of work, and we'll likely get a better idea of the large swath of artists who've considered the late legend a role model. But if you're anything like us, you've been digging around to discover renditions of his hits that have already appeared over the years.
We've managed to compile Prince covers from several artists who either call Texas home or have strong ties to our state. In this edition of "Texas goes purple" ...
'Purple' reigns supreme
Our unscientific observation from all this digging: "Purple Rain" seems to be the most widely covered Prince song. Here are four with a Lone Star connection:
LeAnn Rimes took quite a leap back in '98 by ditching her proven twang formula and trying out some experimental covers. She may have been a little young to grasp the full power of the "Purple Rain" lyrics, but she worked it out vocally.
Red dirt country star Jason Boland, though, didn't sacrifice any of his down-home, acoustic vibes in mashing up "Purple Rain" with "Rocketman."
Upping the ante on this classic is our Burleson-rooted pop sensation Kelly Clarkson, who put her soulful spin on it at a concert last year.
And here's hoping Fort Worth powerhouse Josh Weathers' cover (which he just uploaded) will go as viral as his "I Will Always Love You" video did.
Other Prince-ly performances
To represent the rock crowd, here's a wild and woolly cover of "Let's Go Crazy" from Austin-by-way-of-Denton outfit Riverboat Gamblers.
Beyoncé, who performed with Prince at the 2004 Grammys, also paid tribute to him in concert back in 2011 with a take on "The Beautiful Ones." Gorgeous, but we also happen to adore Mariah Carey and Dru Hill's recorded version in case you're wondering.
For a moment of levity, enjoy Terrell's Jamie Foxx applying his best Prince "Adore" impersonation to the "Brady Bunch" theme. He also had a famously off-color stand-up bit about meeting the Purple One.
Now, here's the biggest surprise from my diggin' spree: It's a breathtaking backstage performance of "I Would Die 4 U" by former Texas resident Nick Jonas. Good job, son.
On the other end of the spectrum, here's a faithful take on "Baby I'm a Star" from the late Buddy Miles, who released this a couple of years after he relocated to Austin in 1997.
And we'll leave you with a somewhat questionable rendition of "Little Red Corvette" featuring Phil Collins. The noted Alamo obsessive is now an "honorary Texan" thanks to last year's proclamation by state lawmakers.
