Denise Matthews

Details

Inductee: Denise Matthews

Year inducted: 2024

About:

Denise Matthews’ career began in local beauty pageants here in Niagara Falls, winning the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977 and competing for Miss Canada in 1978. After moving to New York City she became most well-known under the name ‘Vanity’, becoming the front girl in the girl group ‘Vanity 6’ which was formed by Prince. The group had success internationally with the single "Nasty Girl". Vanity and Prince appeared together on the cover of an April 1983 issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

In 1983 she left Vanity 6, signing with Motown Records as a solo artist and recording her album ‘Wild Animal’. She saw success with the singles ‘Pretty Mess’, ‘Mechanical Emotion’, and ‘Under the Influence’. She also had several acting roles in films and television through the 1980s, including ‘The Last Dragon’ and ‘Miami Vice’, before retiring from show business in 1994.