Morris Eugene Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.
Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Prince attended the same high school in Minneapolis and in 1974, as teenagers, became bandmates in the band Grand Central. The band was managed by Morris' mother.
Morris announced in 2022 that he would be releasing his final solo album Last Call and retiring from regular touring after his 2023–2024 tour.
In addition to his roles in Purple Rain (1984) and Graffiti Bridge (1990), Day also appeared in small parts in films such as Richard Pryor's Moving (1988) and the Andrew Dice Clay film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, performing "Jungle Love" with The Time after being introduced emphatically by Jason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and the Time!" and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's ending.
Day also appeared on the small screen in 1990 when he portrayed the character Lamarr on ABC's short-lived sitcom New Attitude. He guest-starred on the sitcom Eve as a pimp who wanted Eve's fashion boutique to design a flamboyant suit to match his witty personality, and appeared as himself in an episode on the series Moesha, attempting to file a lawsuit against Moesha's ex-boyfriend Q, who used a sample from "The Oak Tree" without permission. He also appeared in the series 227.
He appeared opposite James Avery and Matthew Stewart in a pilot called Heart & Soul produced by Quincy Jones. In 2018, Will Smith revealed that he auditioned on the spot for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him.
On June 4, 1986, Day married Judith Jones, a background vocalist for Lou Rawls. They had three children, Derran Day, Evan Day, and Tionna Day, and divorced in 2011.
He married Lorena Day in 2012.
Legal dispute with Prince Estate
In March 2022, an article written by the Los Angeles Times mentioned that the Prince Estate recently informed Day that he "can no longer use Morris Day and the Time in any capacity." After reading the letter that was sent to Day from the estate, music industry attorney Erin M. Jacobson mentioned in that same article that it was more accurate to say the letter stated that Day could not claim “ownership of the name,” but there was still opportunity to use the name via an agreement with the Prince Estate that would provide terms for Day to monetarily compensate “the trademark owner in exchange for the ability to continue using the name.”
Day, Morris (2019). On Time: A Princely Life in Funk (illustrated ed.). Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306922206.