Vanity (performer)
Encyclopedia
Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959), 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. She was the lead singer for the female trio Vanity 6
, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl
".
. Her mother was of German
descent http://www.nndb.com/people/147/000046009/ and her father was African Canadian. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described as a "broken home
". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother suffered from alcoholism and depression. Matthews' father was abusive towards her and her sisters. As a child, along with her sisters and step siblings, she regularly moved back and forth between her father and stepmother, mother and grandparents.
as an idol, Matthews wanted to become a Hollywood star. She began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won Miss Niagara Hospitality in 1977, and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At the age of 19, she moved to New York
to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency, but since she was not very tall, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photoshoots and included no runway work. Matthews appeared in ads for Pearl Drops toothpaste, before completing a modeling stint in Japan. As Vanity, she posed twice for Playboy
magazine, in May 1985 and again in April 1988. Throughout the 80s to the mid 90s, Vanity appeared in many magazines around the world. Additionally, she was the cover model for the funk/r&b band Cameo
's 1982 album Alligator Woman
, as well as their 1984 album She's Strange
.
at the American Music Awards
, where she was working as a model for the night. Prince re-named her Vanity, stating he saw his female reflection when he looked at her. That same year, Prince having learned that she could sing asked her to become the lead singer of the group Vanity 6
. They were known for their sexually explicit lyrics, performances, and costumes, with the "6" in their name alluding to the female trio's breasts. The group's biggest hit, "Nasty Girl
", was produced by Prince. In late 1982, Vanity 6's album and songs started becoming popular, and they went on the 1999
tour with Prince and The Time
until spring 1983. Vanity 6 made headlines and gained a following with their provocative performance style during the tour.
After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Several songs for Vanity 6's proposed second album were recorded. They were later released as bootleg
s.
She signed a record deal with Motown Records
in 1984 and recorded two solo albums, Wild Animal
and Skin On Skin. Extended versions of the single "Pretty Mess" from Wild Animal b/w
"Mechanical Emotion" which featured Morris Day, were released as a 12" by Motown. Her solo albums were moderate successes, with her biggest hit coming from "Under the Influence", off of her 1986 album Skin On Skin. Not long after Vanity's second album was released, she either left or was dropped from Motown and signed with A&M Records
. She then signed with Geffen Records
.
In 1988, under the production of friend/former The Time member Jesse Johnson
, she recorded songs for the Action Jackson
movie soundtrack, including the song "Faraway Eyes", which became one of her most well-known hits. That year Vanity also worked on a third album with two of her peers from her days with Prince, former The Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
, as well as Tony LeMans
, but the album was either never completed, or never released. This ended Vanity's work as a recording artist.
, which was filmed in Montreal a year earlier. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie
Tanya's Island
. At the time of both film roles, she was billed as D.D. Winters. After her music career started, Vanity starred in a number of movies, including The Last Dragon
, which featured her underground hit "7th Heaven", in 1986 she starred in Never Too Young to Die
opposite John Stamos
. The film also featured Gene Simmons
. She went on to appear in 52 Pick-Up
and 1988's Action Jackson
, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers
, Craig T. Nelson
, and Sharon Stone
.
From the mid 80s to the early 90s, she also guest starred on numerous TV shows. She played a villain who tortured Nancy Allen
's character in the 1990 TV movie Memories of Murder, guest starred in an episode of Miami Vice
's third season, and in 1992 appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series
She also appeared in an episode of Friday the 13th:The series in the episode entitled "Mesmer's Bauble".
Besides Prince, Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant
, Billy Idol
, In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe
bassist Nikki Sixx
were engaged (although Sixx denied this claim). She joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again. They never married. In Sixx's 2007 autobiography, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
, he describes his 1987 drug use with Vanity, who was addicted to crack cocaine
at the time. In 1995, Vanity married football player Anthony Smith
, of the Oakland Raiders
. They divorced in 1996. Due to the effects on her kidneys of years of drug use while a performer, she must now undergo peritoneal dialysis
five times a day (each session is 20 minutes long).
She lives in Fremont, California
.
came to her
at this time and spoke to her, saying if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. In 1995, she was quoted as saying "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine—every interview, every tape, every video. Everything." She has stated that she has chosen not to receive anymore revenues from her work as Vanity, and has cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in the music business. She has expressed embarrassment and shame about what she characterizes as her sinful life as Vanity, including her drug addiction and other lifestyle choices. After a kidney transplant in 1997, she decided to devote her life to evangelism
. She now speaks at churches across the United States and overseas.
In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity.
While the versions with Vanity's vocals remain officially unreleased, all 3 have been leaked extensively to the internet.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, dancer, actress, and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
from the 1980s until the early mid-90s. She was the lead singer for the female trio 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:...
, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl
Nasty Girl (Vanity 6 song)
"Nasty Girl" is a song written by Prince for his protégé girl group Vanity 6. Prince gave the songwriting credit to lead singer Vanity, although he was the writer and composer. It was the second single taken from their self-titled debut album Vanity 6 and was released in 1982.The backing music was...
".
Early life
Vanity was born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
. Her mother was of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
descent http://www.nndb.com/people/147/000046009/ and her father was African Canadian. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described as a "broken home
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother suffered from alcoholism and depression. Matthews' father was abusive towards her and her sisters. As a child, along with her sisters and step siblings, she regularly moved back and forth between her father and stepmother, mother and grandparents.
Modeling
With Diana RossDiana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
as an idol, Matthews wanted to become a Hollywood star. She began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won Miss Niagara Hospitality in 1977, and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At the age of 19, she moved to 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...
to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency, but since she was not very tall, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photoshoots and included no runway work. Matthews appeared in ads for Pearl Drops toothpaste, before completing a modeling stint in Japan. As Vanity, she posed twice for Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine, in May 1985 and again in April 1988. Throughout the 80s to the mid 90s, Vanity appeared in many magazines around the world. Additionally, she was the cover model for the funk/r&b band Cameo
Cameo (band)
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
's 1982 album Alligator Woman
Alligator Woman
Alligator Woman is the eighth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1982. It contains the funk classic, "Flirt".The cover artwork model is the Prince protege Denise Matthews, aka Vanity.-Track listing:...
, as well as their 1984 album She's Strange
She's Strange
She's Strange is the tenth album by the funk/R&B band Cameo, released in 1984.This album is dedicated to the late Polygram A&R-representative , Bill Haywood.As Cameo mentions in the liner-notes of the album , "The album which he always wanted"...
.
Music
In 1982, she met PrincePrince (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...
at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, where she was working as a model for the night. Prince re-named her Vanity, stating he saw his female reflection when he looked at her. That same year, Prince having learned that she could sing asked her to become the lead singer of the 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:...
. They were known for their sexually explicit lyrics, performances, and costumes, with the "6" in their name alluding to the female trio's breasts. The group's biggest hit, "Nasty Girl
Nasty Girl (Vanity 6 song)
"Nasty Girl" is a song written by Prince for his protégé girl group Vanity 6. Prince gave the songwriting credit to lead singer Vanity, although he was the writer and composer. It was the second single taken from their self-titled debut album Vanity 6 and was released in 1982.The backing music was...
", was produced by Prince. In late 1982, Vanity 6's album and songs started becoming popular, and they went on the 1999
1999 (album)
1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
tour with Prince and The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
until spring 1983. Vanity 6 made headlines and gained a following with their provocative performance style during the tour.
After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Several songs for Vanity 6's proposed second album were recorded. They were later released as bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s.
She signed a record deal with Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
in 1984 and recorded two solo albums, Wild Animal
Wild Animal (Vanity album)
-Album:Spent 25 weeks on the R&B Albums chart.-Singles:...
and Skin On Skin. Extended versions of the single "Pretty Mess" from Wild Animal b/w
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Mechanical Emotion" which featured Morris Day, were released as a 12" by Motown. Her solo albums were moderate successes, with her biggest hit coming from "Under the Influence", off of her 1986 album Skin On Skin. Not long after Vanity's second album was released, she either left or was dropped from Motown and signed with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. She then signed with Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
.
In 1988, under the production of friend/former The Time member Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson (musician)
Jesse Woods Johnson is a musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time....
, she recorded songs for the Action Jackson
Action Jackson
Action Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
movie soundtrack, including the song "Faraway Eyes", which became one of her most well-known hits. That year Vanity also worked on a third album with two of her peers from her days with Prince, former The Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, as well as Tony LeMans
Tony LeMans
Tony LeMans was a singer and songwriter associated with Prince and signed to Prince's Paisley Park Records.-Biography:He released his self titled debut album in 1989 on that label and it peaked at #58 on the Billboard R&B Album chart. Three singles were released without much chart success...
, but the album was either never completed, or never released. This ended Vanity's work as a recording artist.
Acting
In 1980, Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror TrainTerror Train
Terror Train is a 1980 Canadian horror film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and David Copperfield.- Plot :...
, which was filmed in Montreal a year earlier. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
Tanya's Island
Tanya's Island
Tanya's Island is an American fantasy film from 1980/1981, directed by Alfred Sole and starring Vanity as a woman caught in a love-triangle involving her aggressive boyfriend and an amorous, blue-eyed man-ape....
. At the time of both film roles, she was billed as D.D. Winters. After her music career started, Vanity starred in a number of movies, including The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
, which featured her underground hit "7th Heaven", in 1986 she starred in Never Too Young to Die
Never Too Young to Die
Never Too Young To Die is a 1986 action film, starring John Stamos as Lance Stargrove, a young man who, with the help of secret-agent Danja-Deering must avenge the death of his secret-agent father at the hands of the evil hermaphrodite Velvet Von Ragner .-External Links:*...
opposite John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
. The film also featured Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
. She went on to appear in 52 Pick-Up
52 Pick-Up
52 Pick-Up is a 1986 crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film stars Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret and is based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name.-Plot:...
and 1988's Action Jackson
Action Jackson
Action Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
, Craig T. Nelson
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
, and Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
.
From the mid 80s to the early 90s, she also guest starred on numerous TV shows. She played a villain who tortured Nancy Allen
Nancy Allen (actress)
Nancy Anne Allen is a Golden Globe nominated American actress and cancer activist.Allen began an acting and modelling career as a child, and from the mid-1970s appeared in small film roles, most notably the anchor of Robert Zemeckis's ensemble comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand...
's character in the 1990 TV movie Memories of Murder, guest starred in an episode of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
's third season, and in 1992 appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
She also appeared in an episode of Friday the 13th:The series in the episode entitled "Mesmer's Bauble".
Personal life
Vanity liked to paint surrealistic and erotic paintings in her free time. She also personally designed many of her own original outfits that she would wear on stage or at events.Besides Prince, Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
bassist Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
were engaged (although Sixx denied this claim). She joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again. They never married. In Sixx's 2007 autobiography, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star is a book co-written by Nikki Sixx, bassist of the rock band Mötley Crüe, and Ian Gittins. Additional reflections on the period from Sixx and others are interspersed throughout the book. The book also includes many black-and-white...
, he describes his 1987 drug use with Vanity, who was addicted to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
at the time. In 1995, Vanity married football player Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith (defensive end)
Anthony Wayne Smith is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders 11th overall in the 1990 NFL Draft...
, of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. They divorced in 1996. Due to the effects on her kidneys of years of drug use while a performer, she must now undergo peritoneal dialysis
Peritoneal dialysis
Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for patients with severe chronic kidney disease. The process uses the patient's peritoneum in the abdomen as a membrane across which fluids and dissolved substances are exchanged from the blood...
five times a day (each session is 20 minutes long).
She lives in Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
Christian conversion
Vanity gave up her stage name and became a born-again Christian in 1994, the year she almost died from the effects of smoking crack cocaine. She claims that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days left to live while on life support. She said that JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
came to her
Visions of Jesus and Mary
Since the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary until today, a number of people have claimed to have had visions of Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have often invited...
at this time and spoke to her, saying if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. In 1995, she was quoted as saying "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine—every interview, every tape, every video. Everything." She has stated that she has chosen not to receive anymore revenues from her work as Vanity, and has cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in the music business. She has expressed embarrassment and shame about what she characterizes as her sinful life as Vanity, including her drug addiction and other lifestyle choices. After a kidney transplant in 1997, she decided to devote her life to evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
. She now speaks at churches across the United States and overseas.
In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity.
Solo discography
- Wild AnimalWild Animal (Vanity album)-Album:Spent 25 weeks on the R&B Albums chart.-Singles:...
(Motown, 1984) - Skin On Skin (Motown, 1986)
Soundtracks
- (1985) The Last DragonThe Last DragonThe Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
: the song "7th Heaven" - (1988) Action JacksonAction JacksonAction Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
: the songs "Undress", "Faraway Eyes", and "Shotgun" with David Koz and featuring vocalist Kareem
Guest vocals
- (1982) provided backing vocals for PrincePrince (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...
's song "Free" on the album 19991999 (album)1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
. - (1982) provided spoken vocals for The Time (band)The Time (band)The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
's song "The WalkThe Walk (The Time song)"The Walk" opens side two of The Time's second album, What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Sunset Sound in January 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals and Vanity 6 providing some backing vocals.The funk song...
" on the album 'What Time Is It? (album)'. - (1982) along with other Vanity 6Vanity 6Vanity 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:...
members, provided spoken vocals for The Time (band)The Time (band)The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
's song "Wild and Loose" on the album 'What Time Is It? (album)'. - (1986) provided backing vocals for El DeBargeEl DeBargeEldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....
's "Secrets of the Night", on his album El DeBargeEl DeBarge (album)El DeBarge is the self titled debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records El DeBarge is the self titled debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records El DeBarge is the self titled debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records (a...
. In the liner notes, Vanity's backing vocal contributions are referred to as "sensuous". - (1994) on Prince's track "Orgasm", from his album ComeCome (album)Come is the fifteenth studio album by Prince, released during his public dispute with his then-record company, Warner Bros.-Evolution of the album:...
. Prince sampled Vanity's moaning which was originally recorded on an unreleased track from 1983 entitled "Vibrator". In the liner notes for "Orgasm", Vanity is simply credited as "she knows".
Other work and unreleased songs
- (1982/1983) 3 unreleased tracks which were originally scheduled to be on a second Vanity 6 album before Vanity left the group:
- "Sex ShooterSex Shooter"Sex Shooter" is a song written by Prince for his protégés, girl group Apollonia 6. It appeared on the band's only album, Apollonia 6 and was released as a single in 1984.The song was performed by Apollonia 6 in the film Purple Rain...
", which was given to Apollonia 6Apollonia 6Apollonia 6 was a 1980s female singing trio created by Prince as a continuation/succession of a previous group, Vanity 6.-Formation and Purple Rain:... - "Vibrator"
- "G-Spot", which was given to Jill JonesJill JonesJill Jones is an American singer and songwriter, who was a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.-Biography:...
- "Sex Shooter
While the versions with Vanity's vocals remain officially unreleased, all 3 have been leaked extensively to the internet.
- (1989) performed a cover version of "Nature BoyNature Boy (song)"Nature Boy" is a song by eden ahbez, published in 1947. The song tells a fantasy of a "strange enchanted boy... who wandered very far" only to learn that "the greatest thing... was just to love and be loved in return"...
" during a guest appearance on the TV show Friday the 13th: The SeriesFriday the 13th: The SeriesFriday the 13th: The Series is an American-Canadian horror television series that ran for three seasons, from October 3, 1987 to May 26, 1990 in first-run syndication....
. It was thought this song may have been from Vanity's unreleased/never completed third solo album.
With Vanity 6
| Year | Title | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "He's So Dull" | — | — | — |
| "Nasty Girl Nasty Girl (Vanity 6 song) "Nasty Girl" is a song written by Prince for his protégé girl group Vanity 6. Prince gave the songwriting credit to lead singer Vanity, although he was the writer and composer. It was the second single taken from their self-titled debut album Vanity 6 and was released in 1982.The backing music was... " |
101 | 7 | 1 | |
| "Drive Me Wild" | — | — | — |
Solo
| Year | Title | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Pretty Mess Pretty Mess "Pretty Mess" is a song released 1984 by American R&B/pop singer-songwriter Vanity. The song was the lead single in support of her debut studio album, Wild Animal on Motown Records. The song peaked to #15 on Billboards Top R&B Albums and #13 on Hot Dance Club Play charts.-Tracklisting:US 7"... " |
75 | 15 | 13 |
| 1985 | "Mechanical Emotion Mechanical Emotion "Mechanical Emotion" is a song by American singer Vanity. The song was released in 1985 as the second single in support of her album, Wild Animal. The song peaked at #23 on Billboards Hot R&B Songs chart.-Tracklisting:US 7" SingleUK 7" Single... " |
107 | 23 | — |
| 1986 | "Under the Influence" | 56 | 9 | 6 |
| "Animals" | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | "Undress" | — | — | — |
Music videos
Vanity appeared in 7 released music videos:- (1982) "Nasty Girl", "He's So Dull" and "Drive Me Wild"
- (1984) "Pretty Mess"
- (1985) "7th Heaven" (the video clips were taken from the movie The Last DragonThe Last DragonThe Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
) - (1986) "Under The Influence"
- (1988) "He Turned Me Out", a song performed by The Pointer Sisters from the soundtrack of Action JacksonAction JacksonAction Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
. Vanity's co-star in the movie, Carl WeathersCarl WeathersCarl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
, appears alongside her in the video.
- a video for "Mechanical Emotion" was made, but never released, in late 1984/early 1985.
Filmography
- (1980) Klondike FeverKlondike FeverKlondike Fever is a 1980 Canadian adventure film, based on the writings of Jack London.- Plot :* Jack London's journey from San Francisco to the Canadian Klondike gold fields in 1898.- Awards :...
(uncredited) - (1980) Terror TrainTerror TrainTerror Train is a 1980 Canadian horror film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and David Copperfield.- Plot :...
(as D.D. Winters) - (1980) Tanya's IslandTanya's IslandTanya's Island is an American fantasy film from 1980/1981, directed by Alfred Sole and starring Vanity as a woman caught in a love-triangle involving her aggressive boyfriend and an amorous, blue-eyed man-ape....
(as D.D. Winters) - (1985) The Last DragonThe Last DragonThe Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
- (1986) Never Too Young to DieNever Too Young to DieNever Too Young To Die is a 1986 action film, starring John Stamos as Lance Stargrove, a young man who, with the help of secret-agent Danja-Deering must avenge the death of his secret-agent father at the hands of the evil hermaphrodite Velvet Von Ragner .-External Links:*...
- (1986) 52 Pick-Up52 Pick-Up52 Pick-Up is a 1986 crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film stars Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret and is based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name.-Plot:...
- (1987) Deadly Illusion
- (1988) Action JacksonAction JacksonAction Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
- (1992) South Beach
- (1992) Neon City
- (1993) Da Vinci's War
- (1995) Kiss of Death
Television work
- (1987) Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(episode: By Hooker By Crook) - (1987) The New Mike HammerThe New Mike HammerThe New Mike Hammer is an American television series based on the exploits of the fictitious New York-based private detective Mike Hammer. The show starred Stacy Keach and was essentially a continuation of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, an earlier television program featuring an identical core cast...
(episode: Green Lipstick/Mike's Daughter) - (1988) T. and T.T. and T.T. and T. is a Canadian-produced television series, in production from 1987 to 1990. The series premiered in first-run syndication in January 1988, later moving to new episodes on the Family Channel in 1990. It was a starring vehicle for Mr...
(episode: A Secret No More) - (1989) Friday the 13th: The SeriesFriday the 13th: The SeriesFriday the 13th: The Series is an American-Canadian horror television series that ran for three seasons, from October 3, 1987 to May 26, 1990 in first-run syndication....
(episode: The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble) - 1989) BookerBooker (TV series)Booker is an American crime drama series starring Richard Grieco that aired on the Fox Network from September 24, 1989 to May 6, 1990. The series was a spin-off of 21 Jump Street...
(episode: Deals and Wheels: Part 1) - (1990) Memories of Murder [made-for-TV-movie]
- (1991) Tales from the CryptTales from the Crypt (TV series)Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
(episode: Dead Wait) - (1991) Sweating Bullets aka Tropical HeatTropical HeatTropical Heat was a Canadian TV series produced in cooperation with Mexico and Israel that aired between 1991 and 1993 ....
(episode: Mafia Mistress) - (1992) Silk StalkingsSilk StalkingsSilk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the...
(episode: Powder Burn) - (1992) Lady Boss [TV mini-series]
- (1992) Highlander: The SeriesHighlander: The SeriesHighlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
(episode: Revenge Is Sweet) - (1993) Counterstrike (episode: Muerte)