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Vanity (singer)

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Vanity
Vanity circa 1984.
Born
Denise Katrina Matthews

(1959-01-04)January 4, 1959[1]
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
DiedFebruary 15, 2016(2016-02-15) (aged 57)
Fremont, California, U.S.
Cause of deathRenal Failure[2][3]
NationalityCanadian
Other namesDenise Matthews–Smith,
D.D. Winters
Occupation(s)Singer–songwriter, actress, model, dancer
Years active1977–97
Spouse
​
(m. 1995⁠–⁠1996)​
PartnerPrince (1980–83)
Musical career
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websiteblameitonvanity.com

Denise Katrina Matthews (January 4, 1959 – February 15, 2016), better known as Vanity and sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, was a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and model, who turned away from her acting and music career to concentrate on evangelism.[4] Her career lasted from the early–1980s until the early mid–1990s. She was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6 from 1981 until it disbanded in 1983. The group was well known for their 1982 R&B/funk hit "Nasty Girl". Vanity's music career also included two solo albums on Motown Records, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin, as well as the hit singles "Pretty Mess", "Mechanical Emotion", Undress (from the movie Action Jackson), and "Under the Influence". She also had a successful film career, starring in the movies The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up, and Action Jackson. She died on February 15, 2016 at age 57 due to renal failure.[5]

Early life

Vanity was born Denise Katrina Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario, she was the daughter of Helga Senyk and James Levia Matthews.[6] Her mother is of Polish and Jewish descent and was born in Germany, while her father was of African American, Hawaiian and Native American ancestry.[7]

Career

Modeling

Vanity began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977 and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At age 17, she moved to New York City to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency. Because she was short in stature, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photo shoots; it included no runway work. She 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 1980s to the mid–1990s, 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.

Music

In 1980, she met Prince at the American Music Awards.[8] Prince renamed her Vanity because, he said, he saw his female reflection when he looked at her. After learning that Vanity could sing, Prince asked her to become the lead singer of the girl group Vanity 6.[8] This group was known for its sexually explicit lyrics, performances, and costumes (the "6" in their name referred to the female trio's breasts). The group's biggest hit, "Nasty Girl", was produced by Prince. In late 1982, the group and The Time toured with Prince on his 1999 Tour until spring of 1983. Vanity 6 was known for their provocative performances during the tour. After one album, Vanity decided to leave Vanity 6. Several songs for Vanity 6's proposed second album were recorded. They were later released as bootlegs.

Vanity signed a record deal with Motown Records in 1984 and recorded two solo studio albums, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin. Extended versions of the single "Pretty Mess" from Wild Animal b/w "Mechanical Emotion", were released as a 12" by Motown. Her solo albums were moderate successes. Her biggest hit was "Under the Influence" from 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. Later she 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 Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as Tony LeMans, but the project did not yield an album release. Vanity's work as a recording artist ceased.

Acting

In 1980, she had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train, 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, as Vanity she 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–1980s to the early–1990s, Vanity 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 Friday the 13th: The Series in the episode entitled "Mesmer's Bauble".

Personal life

Besides Prince, Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant and Billy Idol.[9] In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx were engaged. 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 Matthews, who was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. In 1995, Vanity married football player Anthony Smith of the Oakland Raiders,[10] but they divorced the following year.

Christian conversion

In 1994, Vanity overdosed on crack cocaine and suffered from near-fatal renal failure. She recalled that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. She said that Jesus appeared to her at this time and spoke to her, saying, if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. Upon her recovery, she completely renounced her stage name and career and became a born-again Christian. In 1995, she said, "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine — interview, every tape, every video. Everything."[11] She stated that she had chosen not to receive any further revenue from her work as Vanity, and cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in show business.[12] After a kidney transplant in 1997, she decided to devote her life to Christ. She made speaking engagements at churches across the United States and worldwide. In 2010, she released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity: Hollywood, Hell and Heaven.[13]

Health and Death

Due to the effects on her kidneys of years of drug use while a performer, she had to undergo peritoneal dialysis five times a day (each session was 20 minutes long).[9][12][14] Matthews suffered from sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, a rare complication of a peritoneal dialysis, and died in a Fremont, California hospital on February 15, 2016, at the age of 57.[15]

Discography

Studio albums

With Vanity 6

Solo discography

Soundtracks

Guest vocals

  • (1982) provided backing vocals for Prince's song "Free" on his album 1999.
  • (1982) provided spoken vocals for The Time's song "The Walk" on the album What Time Is It?.
  • (1982) along with other Vanity 6 members, provided spoken vocals for The Time's song "Wild and Loose" on the album What Time Is It?.
  • (1986) provided backing vocals for El DeBarge's "Secrets of the Night", on his album El DeBarge. In the liner notes, Vanity's backing vocal contributions are referred to as "sensuous".
  • (1994) on Prince's track "Orgasm", from his album Come. 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

  • In 1982 and 1983 three unreleased recorded tracks which were originally scheduled to be on a second Vanity 6 album before Vanity left the group:

While the versions with Vanity's vocals remain officially unreleased, all three have been leaked extensively to the internet.

  • In 1989, Vanity performed a cover version of "Nature Boy" during a guest appearance on the TV show Friday the 13th: The Series in the episode 'The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble' as a pop star named 'Angelica'. It was thought this song may have been from Vanity's unreleased/never completed third solo album.

Singles

With Vanity 6

Year Title U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. dance
1982 "He's So Dull" — — —
"Nasty Girl" 101[16] 7 1[17]
"Drive Me Wild" — — —
"Make Up" — — —

Solo

Year Title U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. dance
1984 "Pretty Mess" 75[18] 15 13[17]
1985 "Mechanical Emotion" 107[16] 23 —
1986 "Under the Influence" 56[18] 9 6[17]
"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" (video clips were from the movie The Last Dragon)
  • (1986) "Under The Influence"
  • (1988) "He Turned Me Out", a song performed by The Pointer Sisters from the soundtrack of Action Jackson. Vanity's co-star in the movie, Carl Weathers, appears alongside her in the video.

Unreleased music video

  • (Early/1985) a video for "Mechanical Emotion" was made, but never officially released.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Klondike Fever Uncredited Canadian adventure film based on the writings of Jack London and directed by Peter Carter.[19]
Terror Train Merry (credited as D.D. Winters) Canadian-American horror film directed by Roger Spottiswoode.[20]
Tanya's Island Tanya (credited as D.D. Winters) Canadian-American fantasy film directed by Alfred Sole.[21]
1985 The Last Dragon Laura Charles
1986 Never Too Young to Die Danja Deering B movie directed by Gil Bettman.[23]
52 Pick-Up Doreen crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer.[24]
1987 Deadly Illusion Rina Action/crime thriller film directed by Larry Cohen and William Tannen.[25]
1988 Action Jackson Sydney Ash American action film directed by Craig R. Baxley.[26]
1992 Neon City Reno
1993 South Beach Jennifer Derringer Directed by Fred Williamson (also starring) and Alain Zaloum.[29]
Da Vinci's War Lupe Directed and co-written by Raymond Martino.[30]
1997 Kiss of Death Blair Directed and written by Andrei Feher. (credited as Andre Feher)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1987 Miami Vice Ali Ferrand Episode: "By Hooker By Crook" (S 3: Ep 20)
The New Mike Hammer Holly Episode: "Green Lipstick/Mike's Daughter" (S 3:Ep 21)
1988 T. and T. K.C. Morgan Episode: "A Secret No More" (S 2:Ep 6)
1989 Friday the 13th: The Series Angelica
  • Episode: "The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble" (S 2:Ep 20)
  • Also known as Friday's Curse in the United Kingdom
Booker Tina Maxwell Episode: "Deals and Wheels: Part 1" (S 1: Ep 8)
1990 Memories of Murder Carmen
1991 Tales from the Crypt Kathrine Episode: "Dead Wait" (S 3: Ep 6)
Sweating Bullets Maria
1992 Silk Stalkings Chantel Episode: "Powder Burn" (S 1: Ep 20)
Lady Boss Mary Lou Morley Television Miniseries based on Jackie Collins' novel of the same name with the teleplay by Jackie Collins and directed by Charles Jarrott.[38][39]
Highlander: The Series Rebecca Lord Episode: "Revenge Is Sweet" (S 1: Ep 10)
1993 Counterstrike Sandra Episode: "Muerte" (S 3: Ep 21)

References

  1. ^ Vanity 6 Lives Out Daring Fantasies On Stage (Jet Magazine, January 24, 1983)
  2. ^ Hollywood Reporter; Vanity Dead at 57 – February 15, 2016
  3. ^ Mirror; Prince collaborator Vanity dead at 57 after years of battling kidney failure – February 16, 2016
  4. ^ [hhttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/arts/music/denise-matthews-pop-singer-vanity-prince.html?_r=0 The New York Times]
  5. ^ USA Today; Former Prince protégée Vanity dies at 57 – February 16, 2016
  6. ^ http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2007/12/10/her-name-was-vanity-barely-into-her-30s-she-had-become-an-old-woman-on-the-inside-the-beauty-queen-from-niagara-falls-was-told-she-had-three-days-to-live-it-was-her-lowest-point-and-the-one
  7. ^ Courtland, Milloy (1997-06-04). "Former Siren Is Singing A New Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-15.: "Denise K. Matthews, of Niagara Falls... daughter of an African American father and a Polish Jewish mother..."
  8. ^ a b Buchalter, Gail. (1984-10-15) Her Romance with Prince Hit the Rocks, but Vanity's Singing Career Is Going Grrr-Eat. Peopledf.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  9. ^ a b Christian, Margena A. (2007-11-26). "Vanity". Jet. 112 (21). Johnson Publishing Company: 49. ISSN 0021-5996.
  10. ^ "Vanity Weds Pro Football Star Anthony Smith After Monthlong Courtship". Jet. 87 (23). Johnson Publishing Company: 14. 1995-04-17. ISSN 0021-5996.
  11. ^ Rettenmund, Matthew (1996). Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon Of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV shows, Stars, and Trends Of That Decadent Decade. Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 0-312-14436-9.
  12. ^ a b [1] [dead link‍]
  13. ^ Blame It On Vanity. Blame It On Vanity. Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  14. ^ BlackDoctor; Singer Vanity dies at 57
  15. ^ Abramovitch, Seth (February 15, 2016). "Prince Discovery Vanity Dies at 57". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2005). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004 (2nd ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 277. ISBN 0-89820-162-4.
  17. ^ a b c ((( Vanity > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). allmusic (1959-01-04). Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  18. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (10th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 739. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  19. ^ "Klondike Fever". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  20. ^ "Terror Train". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  21. ^ "Tanya's Island". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  22. ^ "The Last Dragon". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  23. ^ "Never Too Young to Die". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  24. ^ "52 Pick-Up". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  25. ^ "Deadly Illusion". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  26. ^ "Action Jackson (1988 film)". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  27. ^ "Neon City". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  28. ^ D'Arc, James (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Movie Making in Utah. Gibbs Smith. p. 296. ISBN 9781423619840.
  29. ^ "South Beach". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  30. ^ "Da Vinci's War". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  31. ^ "Memories of Murder". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  32. ^ "Vanity (singer)". Jet. 78 (20): 62. Aug 27, 1990.
  33. ^ "TV Review: Memories of Murder". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. August 10, 1990. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  34. ^ "NANCY ALLEN STARS IN A LIFETIME FIRST" – Orlando Sentinel
  35. ^ "A Lifetime of `Memories'" - Chicago Tribune
  36. ^ Thomas Riggs (2005), Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television
  37. ^ Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (2003). "Sweating Bullets (Detective)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Eighth ed.). New York City: Ballantine Books. p. 1158. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
  38. ^ "Lady Boss". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  39. ^ "Lady Boss (miniseries)". JackieCollins.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016. {{cite web}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |work= at position 1 (help)
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