If you ask modern funk hero Cory Wong about his biggest influences, Prince’s name will very likely be one of the first to crop up.
In fact, quiz Wong on the albums that taught him the most about holding down the groove and playing in the pocket – the kind of things he’s made a career out of – and he will cite Controversy, Prince’s fourth studio album of 1981, as an academic masterpiece.
“It’s an album every funk guitarist should listen to,” reasons Wong. “It’s very raw but the time feel is very interesting and cool. And it’s all very intentional.”
The influence of Prince has been evident throughout Wong's career and remains so in his 2026 album Lost In The Wonder.
As fate would have it, the two Minneapolis natives crossed paths when Wong was cutting his teeth on the local circuit.
Wong recalls to MusicRadar: “There’s this club in downtown Minneapolis called Bunkers. It was the hang for musicians and to some extent still is. All kinds of people would come to hang and sit in, from Slash and John Mayer to Roy Hargrove and Jonny Lang.”
Wong soon found himself playing on Sunday and Monday nights in a band called Dr. Mambo’s Combo, whose more experienced members assumed the role of mentors, offering him an abundance of guidance and encouragement.
“Prince would come in all the time to watch the band,” reveals Wong. “Anytime he was hiring new musicians to play with him, he would bring them to Bunkers and make them listen to how the musicians would approach the music, as well as the repertoire itself.”
On some occasions, this musical education would involve a trial by fire, with the new recruit being thrown on stage and put on the spot.
“Oftentimes, he’d throw them under the bus by telling them to sit in, even if they didn’t know the song,” laughs Wong. “It was as if to say, ‘Yes, I just asked you to join my band but you’ve got to be able to hang with these cats, too!’”
On one occasion, with Prince having now seen Wong perform with the band a handful of times, the young rising star of the local scene got one of the biggest surprises of his life.
“Prince sent one of his people to bring me over,” smiles Wong . “He’d always sit in the back corner with his entourage and security around because he’s Prince – obviously everyone would want to go and say hi, which is to be expected.
“When I saw him, I said ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ And he replied ‘Oh, you sound so great, man... I love what you do because you’ve got such a sound, it’s such a thing, keep doing your thing because when I hear it, it’s such a sound!’”
Of course, to the young musician still trying to find his place in the world, such high praise from one of the most innovative minds in music was nothing to be sniffed at.
“To me, that was the biggest compliment you can get,” Wong grins. “It wasn’t just about playing a great solo, which would have been nice enough. But from artist to artist and guitar player to guitar player, Prince telling me I had an identifiable sound was by far the biggest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
He adds: “I knew he meant it when he said it. Sometimes, when I’m feeling down about myself, I can go back and hear his voice in my head. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
