Jersey History: PM Dawn
‘Dearest Christian’ by P.M Dawn
They busted out of Jersey City in 1988 led by Prince Be and DJ Minutemix (the Cordes brothers, Attrell and Jarrett). The #1 hit single “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” drove their 1991 debut album—Of The Heart, Of The Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience—to #29. It sampled “True” by British pop band Spandau Ballet, and featured a cameo by Spandau’s Tony Hadley in the video. After a feud with Bronx rapper KRS One, their 1993 follow-up—The Bliss Album…? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence)—made it to #23. It included a duet with Boy George and a Beatle cover (“Norwegian Wood”). Their contribution to the 1996 AIDS benefit album, Red Hot + Rio (“Non-Fiction Burning”) was warmly received. They placed two songs on the 1998 Senseless soundtrack (the David Spade/Marlon Wayans comedy). Two albums later, with sales slipping, but still with love from the critics, they released Fucked Music in 2000.
Prince Be’s diabetes forced him to leave the band in 2005 after he suffered a stroke. His brother left the band as well, handing off the reins to their cousin Doc G. Prince Be died in 2016 at 46 from kidney disease in a Monmouth County hospital. In 2018, producer K-R.O.K. joined the band.