When Prince recorded his first album under the Madhouse name, he primarily recorded the album alone with the contributions of the saxophonist and flautist Eric Leeds. For their follow-up record, which was released just 10 months after their debut in November 1987, additional musicians were brought into the fold to create new layers of sound.
In addition to Sheila E., Levi Seacer, Jr., and Dr. Fink, all of whom were part of Prince's live band, the album credits for second Madhouse release listed a fictional drummer named John Lewis, giving the project an air of mystery. The foggy backstory about the band fueled an ongoing sense of curiosity about Madhouse, and only added to the long list of pseudonyms (including Jamie Starr, Christopher, Camille, and Alexander Nevermind) that Prince was using while working on his various side projects.
The second Madhouse album was comprised mostly of jams played by Prince, myself, Sheila and Levi. ”
Eric Leeds, The Quietus, 2015
16 Album Credits
Eric Leeds tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, keyboards, flute Prince various instruments Sheila E. drums Levi Seacer, Jr. bass guitar Dr. Fink keyboards
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