Apollonia 6 was a 1980s American female singing trio.

Origin

Apollonia 6 was created by recording artist

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, who had also created the group

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince (musician), Prince. Led by singer Vanity (singer), Vanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl (Vanity ...

one year prior in 1982, but the groups did not exist simultaneously. After a number of disputes with Prince,

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic s ...

(Denise Matthews), the lead singer of Vanity 6, left the group in 1983 to pursue solo endeavors, recording with

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

and acting in films. She left behind the co-starring role that she was supposed to play in the 1984 film '' Purple Rain'' starring Prince. Searching for a replacement, the film's director,

Albert Magnoli Albert Magnoli (born 1954)The San Bernardino County Sun: July 16, ...

, met aspiring actress and model Patricia Apollonia Kotero. Prince wanted her to use her middle name and Apollonia stepped into the role in the film ''Purple Rain'', also becoming lead vocalist in the group Vanity left, Vanity 6. The other two members of Vanity 6,

Brenda Bennett Brenda Bennett (born January 24, 1962) is a recording artist from Rhode Island and is best known as a member of the American musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Bennett was married to Prince's lighting and set-designer/director Roy Benne ...

and

Susan Moonsie Susan Moonsie-Mohan (born January 21, 1964) is a Trinidadian-born American singer. She is best known as a member of the 1980s musical groups Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 that were associated with recording artist Prince. Life and career Susan V ...

, remained in the group and were joined by Apollonia, and the group was renamed Apollonia 6, proceeding to release one self-titled album, which featured Prince associates

Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. Overview Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model ...

and

Wendy & Lisa Wendy & Lisa (briefly known as Girl Bros.) are a music duo consisting of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band the Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasin ...

on backing vocals. The number 6 in both group names, Apollonia 6 and Vanity 6, had no meaning whatsoever to the group members, as Prince simply thought it had a nice sound to it. A four-track video was filmed, based on the Apollonia 6 album, directed by Brian Thomson (Australian production designer of the original stage versions of ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...

'' and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''), scripted by Keith Williams (concept writer for music videos by

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song to the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters''. Previously, Parker achieved a US top-10 h ...

, and

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

), with a cast consisting of

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

Edy Williams Edwina Beth "Edy" Williams is an American television and film actor who is best known for her acting work in the films of Russ Meyer, to whom she was married from 1970 to 1975. Early years Williams was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in ...

and

Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he re ...

. Shot in a Los Angeles film studio in 1985, and produced by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

video firm Limelight, the video never went beyond rough cut. Footage from the project has appeared on many social networking sites, such as

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Dissolution

Prince had originally intended his classic tracks "

Manic Monday "Manic Monday" is a song written by American musician Prince, but is better known from the version recorded by the American pop rock band the Bangles, which was the first single released from their second studio album, ''Different Light'' (198 ...

" (later recorded by

The Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...

), " 17 Days" (later used as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

"), "

Take Me with U "Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Background The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended to be performed by Van ...

" (released on the '' Purple Rain'' soundtrack) and "

The Glamorous Life "The Glamorous Life" is a song written by Prince, recorded by American percussionist Sheila E. and produced by both. The song has lyrics which reflect a cynicism for the decadence and materialism of the song's protagonist, referred to in the thi ...

" (recorded by

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

in 1984) for the ''Apollonia 6'' album. Apollonia 6 were slated to open the ''Purple Rain'' tour with Prince and Sheila E., but that idea was scrapped after the group returned from a promotional tour of Europe. However, Apollonia 6 did appear on a few select dates of the Purple Rain tour, usually during the "Baby I'm a Star" encore. One such moment is documented in the "I Would Die 4 U" and "Baby I'm a Star" performance on the VHS of '' Prince and the Revolution: Live'', filmed in Syracuse, March 30, 1985. After the group's demise, Kotero continued working on TV shows such as ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' and in films for the next decade. She released a solo album in 1988 entitled ''Apollonia''.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was a 1980s American female singing trio. Origin Apollonia 6 was created by recording artist Prince, who had also created the group Vanity 6 one year prior in 1982, but the groups did not exist simultaneously. After a number of dis ...

'' (1984)

Singles

References

{{Authority control American dance girl groups American dance music groups Feminist musicians American musical trios Musical groups from the Twin Cities Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 1983 establishments in Minnesota 1985 disestablishments in Minnesota Vocal trios Warner Records artists