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02-16 Denise "Vanity" Matthews dead
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In 1981, Prince, himself a rising musical star, suggested that his three female friends—his girlfriend Susan Moonsie,
Bostonnative Brenda Bennett, and his personal assistant, Jamie Shoop form a girl group that would be called "The Hookers".
Prince'svision was that the three women would perform in lingerie and sing sensual songs with lyrics about sex and fantasy.
The original trio recorded a few demos before Prince met Denise Matthews, a nude model and Canadian B movie actress,in
January 1982. Prince was so taken by Matthews' charisma that he decided she would be the perfec ...read more
In 1981, Prince, himself a rising musical star, suggested that his three female friends—his girlfriend Susan Moonsie,
Bostonnative Brenda Bennett, and his personal assistant, Jamie Shoop form a girl group that would be called "The Hookers".
Prince'svision was that the three women would perform in lingerie and sing sensual songs with lyrics about sex and fantasy.
The original trio recorded a few demos before Prince met Denise Matthews, a nude model and Canadian B movie actress,in
January 1982. Prince was so taken by Matthews' charisma that he decided she would be the perfect frontwoman for
his"Hookers" project. Around this time, Prince and Matthews began a romantic relationship that lasted months. With
Matthews'arrival, Shoop was dropped from the group. Matthews was eventually re-christened Vanity. Prince had originally
suggestedthat Matthews use the stage name "Vagina" (to be pronounced /vaginɑ/); she declined and renamed herself
"Vanity" instead.[2] Other versions of the story suggest that it was Prince himself who coined the name "Vanity", as he said
that looking atMatthews was like looking in a mirror at the female version of himself.With the new trio finalized, Prince
renamed the groupVanity 6 (the number representing the group's breast count).
Their first single, "He's So Dull" did not do much on the charts, but did appear in the film National Lampoon's Vacation.The
second single "Nasty Girl" was a hit on both the U.S. R&B chart and U.S. Dance chart (where it hit number one), and italso
made an appearance on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[3] The song was featured in the film Beverly Hills
Cop,although it was not included on the soundtrack. "Nasty Girl" was also featured in the 1983 sex-comedy Private
School.Thethird single, "Drive Me Wild", was another minor hit. Music videos were shot for all three singles. Their self-titled
album, Vanity6 (which would turn out to be their only release) was eventually certified gold.
The group opened up on Prince's 1999 Tour, between 1982 and 1983, which also featured The Time. The Time
actuallyplayed behind a curtain while the girls performed in front, putting tension between The Time and Prince and his band.
To the other group members' dismay, Prince chose Vanity to pose with him for a Richard Avedon photograph used on
thecover of an issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The issue also contained a two-page Avedon photo of Vanity. In 1983,
Vanity recorded a demo for a new song, "Sex Shooter", and started reading for her lead role in Purple Rainopposite Prince.
Prior to the shooting of the movie, later in 1983, Vanity abruptly decided to leave the Prince camp andrelinquish her role in
the film. Many reasons were given for her sudden departure, including money, the end of their romanticrelationship, and, most
importantly, Vanity having been offered a lucrative solo deal from Motown Records. Vanity wasreplaced in Purple Rain by
Patricia Kotero, who would later use the stage name Apollonia. She also inherited the lead role inVanity 6, which was renamed
Apollonia 6, alongside Bennett and Moonsie. The new trio also recorded what would be theironly album, Apollonia 6 in 1984. « hide |
Similar Bands: Apollonia 6, TLC, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson, Sheila E. Contributors: LePurplePolitician,
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