Cherry Vanilla
Encyclopedia
Cherry Vanilla is an American singer-songwriter
, publicist
, and actress. After working as an actress in Andy Warhol
's Pork, she worked as a publicist for David Bowie
, before finding fame as a rock singer. She subsequently became a publicist for Vangelis
.
, New York
. Adopting the stage name Cherry Vanilla, she was in the New York and London productions of Andy Warhol
's play, Pork, playing a necrophilia
c nurse. She worked for MainMan LTD as David Bowie
's publicist, in the early seventies. She became known for her outrageous marketing strategies, which included an open offer to perform oral sex on any DJ who would play Bowie's records and a series of radio commercials that began "Hi, my name is Cherry Vanilla and I've got scoops for you…".
After parting ways with Bowie in 1974, Vanilla formed her first band with Kasim Sulton
, which played under her name. In 1976 she formed Cherry Vanilla & her Staten Island Band, with Buzzy John Vierno
(bass guitar), Frank La Rocca (drums), Thomas Morrongiello (guitar), and Gary Cohen (piano). The group's first released material was the track "Shake Your Ashes", on the Max's Kansas City album of 1976. 1976 also saw the release of Vanilla's art book, Pop Tart.
Her high profile in New York was the impetus for Miles Copeland to invite her to England. She relocated to London
in 1976, becoming part of the burgeoning punk
scene and was signed by RCA Records
. The London-based Cherry Vanilla Band initially consisted of Vanilla's boyfriend/guitarist Louis Lepore and pianist Zecca Esquibel, along with bassist Gordon "Sting" Sumner and drummer Stewart Copeland
, who loaned their services and equipment in exchange for £15 a night and the support spot on her tour. (The support spot was for Copeland's band The Police
, and would be the setting for the band's first live performances.) A more permanent line-up comprised Louis Lepore (guitar), Zecca Esquibel (keyboards), Howie Finkel (bass guitar), and Michael (Manny) Mancuso (drums). Their first release was the single "The Punk" in September 1977, followed in February 1978 by the debut album Bad Girl. Finkel and Esquibel left the band and with a string of replacements the band continued, releasing another single and a second album, Venus D'Vinyl, in 1979. She split up with Lepore and the group disbanded, with Vanilla returning to the US.
In 1980 she performed the narrative on Vangelis
' "Not A Bit - All Of It" (from his See You Later
album). She then ran his American office.
In 1985 she appears as the hitch hiker and waitress on Roger Waters'
album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
In 1987, she was the composer in the boxing club documentary film
Broken Noses.
She returned to recording in the early 1990s, releasing two singles and an album.
Her autobiography, Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla, was published in October 2010 by the Chicago Review Press. The foreword was written by Rufus Wainwright
. A song entitled Cherry Vanilla celebrating the singer written and recorded by The (Fabulous) Cult of John Harley and produced by the legendary English producer Martin Rushent
was used during the launch of the book.
A launch party for "Lick Me" was held November 4, 2010 at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles
where Rufus Wainwright
performed and Angela Bowie
was in attendance.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
, and actress. After working as an actress in Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's Pork, she worked as a publicist for David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, before finding fame as a rock singer. She subsequently became a publicist for Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
.
Career
Kathleen Dorritie was born in WoodsideWoodside, Queens
Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Adopting the stage name Cherry Vanilla, she was in the New York and London productions of Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's play, Pork, playing a necrophilia
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
c nurse. She worked for MainMan LTD as David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's publicist, in the early seventies. She became known for her outrageous marketing strategies, which included an open offer to perform oral sex on any DJ who would play Bowie's records and a series of radio commercials that began "Hi, my name is Cherry Vanilla and I've got scoops for you…".
After parting ways with Bowie in 1974, Vanilla formed her first band with Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States...
, which played under her name. In 1976 she formed Cherry Vanilla & her Staten Island Band, with Buzzy John Vierno
Buz Verno
Buz Verno was born in Staten Island, New York on September 28, 1953. Encouraged by his father to start playing music at a very young age, Buz first began playing guitar at the age of 7. Feeling an overwhelming need to hone his musical talents even more, Buz began to write songs and lyrics...
(bass guitar), Frank La Rocca (drums), Thomas Morrongiello (guitar), and Gary Cohen (piano). The group's first released material was the track "Shake Your Ashes", on the Max's Kansas City album of 1976. 1976 also saw the release of Vanilla's art book, Pop Tart.
Her high profile in New York was the impetus for Miles Copeland to invite her to England. She relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1976, becoming part of the burgeoning punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene and was signed by RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. The London-based Cherry Vanilla Band initially consisted of Vanilla's boyfriend/guitarist Louis Lepore and pianist Zecca Esquibel, along with bassist Gordon "Sting" Sumner and drummer Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
, who loaned their services and equipment in exchange for £15 a night and the support spot on her tour. (The support spot was for Copeland's band The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, and would be the setting for the band's first live performances.) A more permanent line-up comprised Louis Lepore (guitar), Zecca Esquibel (keyboards), Howie Finkel (bass guitar), and Michael (Manny) Mancuso (drums). Their first release was the single "The Punk" in September 1977, followed in February 1978 by the debut album Bad Girl. Finkel and Esquibel left the band and with a string of replacements the band continued, releasing another single and a second album, Venus D'Vinyl, in 1979. She split up with Lepore and the group disbanded, with Vanilla returning to the US.
In 1980 she performed the narrative on Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
' "Not A Bit - All Of It" (from his See You Later
See You Later
See You Later is a 1980 album by the Greek artist Vangelis. It breaks quite violently with the style he had employed in the late 1970s, relying much more on vocals and being more experimental and returning to his early 1970s work....
album). She then ran his American office.
In 1985 she appears as the hitch hiker and waitress on Roger Waters'
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking is a 1984 concept album and the first solo album by English musician Roger Waters. The album was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 1995.-Concept history:...
In 1987, she was the composer in the boxing club documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Broken Noses.
She returned to recording in the early 1990s, releasing two singles and an album.
Her autobiography, Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla, was published in October 2010 by the Chicago Review Press. The foreword was written by Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
. A song entitled Cherry Vanilla celebrating the singer written and recorded by The (Fabulous) Cult of John Harley and produced by the legendary English producer Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
was used during the launch of the book.
A launch party for "Lick Me" was held November 4, 2010 at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
performed and Angela Bowie
Angela Bowie
Angela Bowie is an American cover girl, model, actress and musician. She is the former wife of English musician David Bowie and mother of film director Duncan Jones.-Early life:...
was in attendance.
Albums
- Bad Girl (1978), RCA
- Venus d'Vinyl (1979), RCA
- Blue Roses (1993), E.S.P.
Singles
- "The Punk" (1977), RCA
- "Liverpool" (1978), RCA Victor - Netherlands only
- "Moonlight" (1979), RCA
- "Fone Sex" (1991), Radikal - with Man ParrishMan ParrishMan Parrish is an American composer, songwriter, vocalist and producer. He, along with artists such as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Arthur Baker, Afrika Bambaataa, John Robie, Jellybean Benitez and Aldo Marin helped create and define electro in the early 1980s...
- "Techno Sex" (1992), Radikal - with Man Parrish
External links
- Official site
- Cherry Vanilla at punk77.co.uk
- punk77.co.uk, 2006 interview
- punk77.co.uk, 2007 interview