David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, release an album, have a record hit the UK charts, and tour the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. With a fluid line-up since their founding, Vanian has been the only ever-present member. Vanian's

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

singing voice, dark lyrics and

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

-themed costumes, were a major influence on the

goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-p ...

Career

Born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...

, Vanian moved with his parents to

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

when he was a couple of months old. Vanian changed his name from Lett to Vanian in early life after a stint as a

gravedigger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), g ...

– Vanian being a play on "

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n". He remains one of the early influencers of

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

fashion, wearing dark and otherworldly clothing both on stage and off. He is known to be a fan of

renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

and

horror movies Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoc ...

, all of which manifest in his stage appearance. In November 1976, the British music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' stated that Vanian "resembles a runaway from

the Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

". In 1978, he was guest in the song "Don't Panic England", from the band

Doctors of Madness Doctors of Madness were a British protopunk art rock band active as a recording and touring band from 1975 until late 1978. They found cult level acclaim and recognition in the 70s, but had little commercial success. Since then they have come ...

. In 2004, he and fellow Damned member

Captain Sensible Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band The Damned (band), the Damned, originally playing bass before switc ...

turned on the

Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom goe ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, causing some controversy. Vanian sang with

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

for their 40th anniversary singing "Looking at You", which was released as part of ''Revolution: A Celebration of the MC5''. In 2008, Vanian with the band the Throb, performed on "Let's Get Lost (Sailor Jerry's Story)" for the compilation album, ''The Original Sailor Jerry Rum – Music To...''. Outside of the Damned, Vanian has led the

gothabilly Gothabilly (sometimes hellbilly) is music genre influenced by rockabilly and goth subculture. The name is a portmanteau word that combines ''gothic'' and ''rockabilly'', first used by the Cramps in the late 1970s to describe their somber blend o ...

band

Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords (a.k.a. (the) Phantom Chords) were a 1990s Music of the United Kingdom, British rock band, featuring The Damned (band), The Damned's Dave Vanian on vocals. The band's style is a fusion of rockabilly and gothic ...

, hosted ''Dave Vanian's Dark Screen'' on the UK-based television channel

Rockworld TV Rockworld TV was a British television channel which featured rock music, and was aimed to highlight "underground" lifestyles and artists. It broadcast on Sky Digital ch. 378, and also streamed content online. Officially it was only on the air fr ...

and composed the soundtrack for the 2009 film, ''The Perfect Sleep''.

Personal life

Vanian has kept his personal life out of the limelight, opting out of any input into the Damned biography, ''The Light at the End of the Tunnel'', by Carol Clerk. He married his first wife, Laurie, in 1977; they separated in the mid-1990s. He married

Patricia Morrison Patricia Anne Rainone (born January 14, 1962), better known by her stage name Patricia Morrison, is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She has worked with Bags, The Gun Club, Fur Bible, The Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned. Bio ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

in 1996, after the Damned had toured Australia. The couple have one child, named Emily, and live in Harrow, Greater London.

Discography

Studio album *'' David Vanian and the Phantom Chords'' (1995)

References

External links

The Damned (official site): Dave Vanian section
* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanian, David 1956 births Living people English punk rock singers English baritones The Damned (band) members Gothic rock musicians Gothabilly musicians People from Hemel Hempstead Musicians from Hertfordshire