Norman Beavers is the keyboard player for funk institution Lakeside. He’s been in that band since the late 1960s. Lakeside are still going strong, playing shows throughout the year. When Beavers isn’t on the road with Lakeside, he’s right here in the Twin Cities, living in St. Paul.

Purple Current host Sean McPherson recently got the chance to sit down with Beavers, who has been at the juncture of many great moments in funk, soul, and R&B music history. Their chat touched on everything from Lakeside's origins and the funk scene's evolution to Beavers's first impressions of Prince and the Minneapolis sound.