Susan Moonsie
Encyclopedia
Susan Moonsie is an American
musician
best known for her association with Prince
and his girl-group Vanity 6
.
. She was one of Prince's high school girlfriends.
in 1982. Susan was given a "teenage Lolita
" image by Prince
, for shock value—Susan claimed she was only 16-years-old at the time, although she was 23-years-old when the group was formed. Moonsie and fellow Vanity 6 member Brenda Bennett
would later join Patricia "Apollonia" Kotero
, after Vanity
's departure from Prince, as Apollonia 6
in the 1984 film Purple Rain. Prince had an on and off relationship with her from about 1980 to 1985.
There were a combination of reasons for the end of their relationship. Some have stated she choose to end their relationship around 1983 while Prince was infatuated with Vanity. Moonsie chose to stop her relationship with him and even became good friends with Vanity. Another story suggests that the relationship continued until 1984 when Prince got a close monogamous relationship with Susannah Melvoin
(Wendy's twin sister). She is of Indian heritage originally from Trinidad.
Prince is said to have written the song "When Doves Cry
" about their relationship. "Private Joy" was also supposedly written about her. They became very close on the 1980-81 Dirty Mind Tour and she was his main girlfriend until he met Vanity (Denise Matthews) in January 1982. The Hookers group was originally designed around her, but she did not want to be a lead singer, hence why Jamie and Brenda Bennett were designated to be main vocalists until Vanity arrived. Susan apparently also dated Andre Cymone and various members of the Time.
She later dated Parris Johnson of Cleveland ohio
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
best known for her association with Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and his girl-group Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
.
Early life
Moonsie, the daughter of a conservative school teacher, hailed from Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She was one of Prince's high school girlfriends.
Career
Moonsie became a member of Vanity 6Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
in 1982. Susan was given a "teenage Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
" image by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, for shock value—Susan claimed she was only 16-years-old at the time, although she was 23-years-old when the group was formed. Moonsie and fellow Vanity 6 member Brenda Bennett
Brenda Bennett
Brenda Bennett is an American singer from Boston, Massachusetts who married the musician Prince's set-designer Roy Bennett, and then became Prince's "wardrobe mistress." Brenda's maiden name is Brenda Mosher. She started off in a CBS Records band called Tombstone Blues Band...
would later join Patricia "Apollonia" Kotero
Apollonia Kotero
Apollonia Kotero, born Patricia Kotero on August 2, 1959, is an actress, singer, former model and talent manager. Kotero, born in Santa Monica, California, is of Mexican descent...
, after Vanity
Vanity (performer)
Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...
's departure from Prince, as Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6 was a 1980s female singing trio created by Prince as a continuation/succession of a previous group, Vanity 6.-Formation and Purple Rain:...
in the 1984 film Purple Rain. Prince had an on and off relationship with her from about 1980 to 1985.
There were a combination of reasons for the end of their relationship. Some have stated she choose to end their relationship around 1983 while Prince was infatuated with Vanity. Moonsie chose to stop her relationship with him and even became good friends with Vanity. Another story suggests that the relationship continued until 1984 when Prince got a close monogamous relationship with Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin
Susannah Melvoin is an American vocalist and songwriter, best known for her association with Prince in the mid-1980s. Coming from a musical family, Melvoin is the twin sister of musician Wendy Melvoin, sister to the late Jonathan Melvoin , and daughter of jazz pianist Michael...
(Wendy's twin sister). She is of Indian heritage originally from Trinidad.
Prince is said to have written the song "When Doves Cry
When Doves Cry
A hit cover version by R&B singer Ginuwine was produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.-Charts:-Other cover versions:...
" about their relationship. "Private Joy" was also supposedly written about her. They became very close on the 1980-81 Dirty Mind Tour and she was his main girlfriend until he met Vanity (Denise Matthews) in January 1982. The Hookers group was originally designed around her, but she did not want to be a lead singer, hence why Jamie and Brenda Bennett were designated to be main vocalists until Vanity arrived. Susan apparently also dated Andre Cymone and various members of the Time.
She later dated Parris Johnson of Cleveland ohio