The eccentric pop superstar has found a home on the Vegas Strip and will be performing twice a week at the Rio Hotel, organizers said on Thursday.

    Prince, 48, will take the stage on Fridays and Saturdays at a jazz club inside the hotel for an indefinite period, joining big names like Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and Elton John who have taken up semipermanent residence in the desert gambling and entertainment resort.

    An influential star of the 1980s, Prince wrote and produced funky pop songs that had cross-genre appeal, including the top-sellers "1999," "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss."

    He became known as something of an weird genius, dressing in high heels and lace finery. He was so multitalented that on many songs he played all the instruments himself.

    His reputation for independent thinking was reinforced in the 1990s, when he changed his name to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (or TAFKAP), then to an unpronounceable symbol (reproduced on the Web as O(+>), and back to Prince in 2000.

    His 2004 album, "Musicology," was hailed as a "comeback," and included the song "Call My Name," which earned him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Prince's albums include "1999" (1983), "Purple Rain" (1984), "Lovesexy" (1988), and "Newpower Soul" (1988).

    Prince also starred in the 1984 feature film "Purple Rain." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

    Prince's Las Vegas venue is named 3121 Jazz Cuisine, after his latest album "3121," which took the No. 1 spot on the U.S. album charts soon after its release in March 2006. His first performance will be on Nov. 10. Ticket prices start at 125 U.S. dollars.

    (Agencies)