Morris Day is best known as an associate of Prince. They attended the same high school in Minneapolis and in 1974 as teenagers became bandmates in the band Grand Central.
Acting career
In addition to his roles in Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge, Day also appeared in small parts in films such as Richard Pryor's Moving and the Andrew Dice Clay film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. 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 and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's coda, and being introduced emphatically by Jason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and The motherfuckin' Time!". 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 on 227 in the 80s. 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.
From 1986 to 1987, WWF wrestler "Birdman" Koko B. Ware first used "The Bird" as his entrance theme. He appeared with The Time at the end of the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and was referred to as the main characters' favorite band. In 1994, Day was featured on and provided the chorus and accompanying vocals for rapper K-Dee's song "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" from the Ass, Gas, or Cash album. This song was essentially a direct sampling of a similarly named "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", recorded by The Time in the 80s. A song called "Morris Day" appears on the album by the hip-hop group Felt. Mentioned in Dirt Nasty's song 1980. Mentioned in Kid Rock's 2000 hit "Wasting Time", "On the line I got more time than Morris Day". Australian musician Dave Graney repeats a Morris Day quote—"As a concept—incredible! But I’m a reality!"—over and over throughout the title song from his 2009 album, 'Knock Yourself Out'. In the movie Superfly, Scatter says that the titular character, Youngblood Priest, has a hairstyle similar to that of Morris Day.
