Vanity 6 | |
|---|---|
 Left to right: Brenda Bennett, Vanity, and Susan Moonsie (1982). | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–1983 |
| Labels | Warner Bros. |
| Past members | |
Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégées of musicianPrince. Led by singerVanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl".[6] Vanity left in 1983 and the band was reformed asApollonia 6.
In 1981, Prince, himself a rising musical star, suggested thatSusan Moonsie and her sister Loreen, along with Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli employee Jamie Shoop form agirl group that would be called the Hookers.[7] Prince's vision was that the three women would perform in lingerie and sing sensual songs with lyrics about sex, romance, and fantasy.[8] Later, musicianRick James claimed that Prince had stolen the idea for creating a sexy trio in negligees who sang about love, pain, money, and power from him while Prince was the opening act on James's tour in 1980.[9][10] Set designer Roy Bennett's wifeBrenda Bennett, who later joined the group stated that Prince was looking to create a somewhat "1980s version of The Supremes."[11]
The original trio recorded a fewdemos before Prince knew that Canadian model andB movie actressDenise Matthews could sing. He met her at theAmerican Music Awards in 1982.[12] Prince was so taken by her charisma that he decided she would be the perfect lead vocalist for his group the Hookers. He also suggested that Matthews use the stage name Vagina. She agreed to be part of the act, but insisted that the name of the group be changed from the Hookers, and that she would not use the stage name Vagina. They settled on her stage name as Vanity and the group's name became Vanity 6.[13] Prince chose the name because he said that looking at her was like looking in a mirror at the female version of himself.[7] Around this time, Prince and Vanity began a romantic relationship. Loreen and Jamie were not in the group, and with Vanity's arrival, that left Vanity 6 with Vanity on lead vocals, Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie on backing vocals.[11] Prince provided the group, now dressed in lingerie and high heels, with provocative songs (although within the album credits, group members were sometimes given writing credits).[14]
Their first single, "He's So Dull", failed to chart on the main US Hot 100 chart and was a minor hit in Australia and the Netherlands; it appeared in the filmNational Lampoon's Vacation.[15][16]
The second single, "Nasty Girl", was also not a hit on the US Hot 100, but did become a hit on theU.S. R&B chart, hitting number 7, and theU.S. Dance chart, hitting number one.[17] The song was a top 10 hit in the Netherlands,[15] and a top 20 hit in the Flanders region of Belgium.[18] "Nasty Girl" was featured in the filmBeverly Hills Cop, although it was not included on the soundtrack. It was also featured in the 1983 sex comedy filmPrivate School and the 1996 black comedy filmGirl 6.
The third single, "Drive Me Wild", was another minor hit.Music videos were shot for all three singles. Their first and only album,Vanity 6, was eventually certifiedgold.[19] Members of the group sometimes provided backing vocals on Prince's albums.[20] The group was the opening act of Prince's1999 tour for hisalbum with the same name in 1982 and 1983, which also featuredThe Time.
The hierarchy in the group caused friction between Vanity and Bennett.[11] Prince often put Bennett in charge of rehearsals and checking Vanity's vocals when Vanity saw herself as the one in charge of the group.[11] Vanity appeared in aRichard Avedon photoshoot with Prince with one of the photos being used on the cover of the April 28, 1983 issue ofRolling Stone magazine.[21] The issue also contained a two-page Avedon photo of Vanity 6. In 1983, Vanity recorded demos for a number of new songs, including "Sex Shooter", intended for the ill-fated second Vanity 6 album.[22] During pre-production of the moviePurple Rain in August 1983, Vanity decided to leave the group and relinquish her role in the film.[12] Many possible reasons were given for her departure, such as disbursement of royalties, Prince being too controlling, and the end of their romantic relationship.[12]
Vanity was replaced byApollonia in the group, which was renamedApollonia 6. She also took over Vanity's role in the filmPurple Rain.[12] The new trio recorded their only album,Apollonia 6, in 1984.
Former front woman Vanity went on to have a solo music and acting career.[23] In 1994, Vanity overdosed oncrack cocaine and suffered from near-fatalkidney failure. Upon recovering, she became aborn again Christian and renounced her stage name and her career in show business.[8] She died from kidney disease on February 15, 2016.[24] Moonsie went on to work as a realtor and later became a restaurateur.[25]
| Title (A-side/B-side) | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] | US R&B | US Dance [27] | AUS [16] | BEL (FL) [28] | NLD [29] | |||
| "He's So Dull" "Make-Up" | 1982 | — | — | — | 92 | — | 44 | Vanity 6 |
| "Nasty Girl" "Drive Me Wild" | 101 | 7 | 1 | — | 11 | 7 | ||
| "Drive Me Wild" "3 × 2 = 6" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Bite the Beat" "3 × 2 = 6" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
A number of songs were intended for the Vanity 6 follow up album, but due to Vanity's departure, these songs ended up performed by others.
Tudahl, Duane (2018).Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984. Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN 9781538116432.
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