Primous Fountain was raised in the Chicago South-side Housing Projects. He is a self-taught composer. Composing music is the only work Fountain has done for a living since leaving high school in Chicago. He has dedicated himself to music every day of his life. Today composer has composed seven Symphonies and many other orchestral works.
The young composer Primous Fountain had the premier of his ‘Manifestation’ by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Because of the huge public talk about the performance of Fountain’s music that concert had the most turn out in the history of the orchestra. There was a huge amount of media stories during that performance time. One of the most remarkable and appealing aspect of this composer is the age: his “Manifestation” was composed when he was only 18.
Quincy Jones, the famed producer, impresario, was the first to recognize the genius young composer in his teens when he studied the manuscript of the young composer’s orchestra work ‘Manifestation’. This was before any of Fountain’s music was ever performed. Jones immediately became Fountain’s patron and mentor. This was the start of a close relationship between Jones and Fountain. Later Quincy Jones commissioned Fountain to compose his Second Symphony. This Symphony 2 was 10 years in the making and it then started a new period in the development in the music of the great composer.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave the first performance of Primous’s music when the composer was twenty years old. Then Arthur Mitchell, founder and director of the Dance Theater of Harlem, choreographed the ballet Manifestations, which became the signature ballet for this world renowned ballet company. There has been strong interest in his music for ballet, by Arthur Mitchell, Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, San Francisco Ballet, among others.
At the age of 25, Primous was the youngest person in history to receive a Guggenheim Award. Shortly afterwards, he received a second one.
Fountain’s musical career has met the expectations of his early sponsors: His works has been performed by many of the major orchestras including the San Francisco, Chicago, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Detroit Symphonies, with orchestral performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.