Vanessa Benedict

Vanessa Benedict (born April 26, 1946) is an American singer who found prominence as lead singer of The Holidays and her subsequent solo career. Benedict scored further international fame once she emigrated to Italy in 1982. She is also known for her groundbreaking interracial duet with her once husband, Vance Porter. Her solo career flourished throughout the 80s and early 90s. Her son, the musician, Raj credits her as his main influence.

Personal life: Benedict was married to Vance Porter from 1967 to 1980. During which time she gave birth to a son Rajah Emmanuel Porter in 1972. It was later revealed that bandmate Donato LaTorre was actually Rajah’s father. In 1984 Benedict married Nanni Feciali, Italian movie producer, who later on proved to be an abusive spouse. She remained in Italy, however, as her main residence and became quite fluent in Italian.

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