David Vanian
{{short description|British singer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2013}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2024}}
{{Tone|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Dave Vanian
| image = Wgt2011 damned1 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Vanian performing live with the Damned in 2011
| birth_name = David Lett
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|10|12}}
| birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England
| origin = Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| genre = {{hlist|Punk rock|gothic rock|gothabilly}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician|gravedigger}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|keyboards|guitar|tambourine}}
| years_active = 1976–present
| label = {{hlist|Nitro|Big Beat|Raw Power}}
| current_member_of = The Damned
| past_member_of = {{hlist|Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords|Masters of the Backside|Naz Nomad and the Nightmares}}
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090815080547/http://www.officialdamned.com/ officialdamned.com]
}}
David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have a record hit the UK charts, and tour the United States. With a fluid line-up since their founding, Vanian has been the only ever-present member. Vanian's baritone singing voice, dark lyrics and vampire-themed costumes, were a major influence on the goth subculture.{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |date=1 November 2000 |title=Alternative Rock |publisher=Miller Freeman Books |isbn=0-87930-607-6}}
Career
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, Vanian moved with his parents to Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire 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 – Vanian being a play on "Transylvanian".
He remains one of the early influencers of gothic fashion, wearing dark and otherworldly clothing both on stage and off. He is known to be a fan of renaissance art, film noir and horror movies, all of which manifest in his stage appearance.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}{{Tone inline|date=April 2025}} In November 1976, the British music magazine NME stated that Vanian "resembles a runaway from the Addams Family".{{cite book|first=John|last=Tobler|year=1992|title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years|edition=1st|publisher=Reed International Books Ltd|location= London, UK|page=294|id=CN 5585}}
In 1978, he was guest in the song "Don't Panic England", from the band Doctors of Madness.
In 2004, he and fellow Damned member Captain Sensible turned on the Christmas lights in Cambridge, causing some controversy.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4019459.stm Church fury at Damned's switch-on], Bbc.co.uk; accessed 12 September 2015.
Vanian sang with MC5 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 band Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords, hosted Dave Vanian's Dark Screen on the UK-based television channel Rockworld TV and composed the soundtrack for the 2009 film, The Perfect Sleep.[http://www.theperfectsleep.com Profile], Theperfectsleep.com; accessed 12 September 2015.
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 in Las Vegas in 1996, after the Damned had toured Australia. The couple have one child and live in Harrow, Greater London.{{cite web|url=http://officialdamned.com/docs/bandmembers/patricia/interview.htm|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030423195645/http://officialdamned.com/docs/bandmembers/patricia/interview.htm|archive-date=23 April 2003 |title=Official Damned.com|website=OfficialDamned.com}}
Discography
Studio album
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070218155641/http://www.thedamned.com/ODsingle/docs/bandsections/dv.htm The Damned (official site): Dave Vanian section]
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000938688}}
- {{discogs artist}}
- {{IMDb name|id=2288720}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070225224239/http://homepage.mac.com/jme1/iMovieTheater9.html Interview (while touring with the Phantom Chords), November 1993 (QuickTime Video)]
{{The Damned}}
{{Authority control}}{{UK-singer-stub}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanian, David}}
Category:20th-century English male singers
Category:21st-century English male singers
Category:English punk rock singers
Category:The Damned (band) members
Category:British gothic rock musicians