Andrea True
Encyclopedia
Andrea True was an American
adult film star
and singer from the disco era. In addition to her given name, she had multiple stage name
s, including Inger Kissin, Singe Low, Sandra Lips, Andrea Travis, and Catherine Warren, .
She is best known for the disco tune "More, More, More
", released in 1976, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
, and reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1976.
, Tennessee
, United States
. She attended Saint Cecilia Academy, an all-girl Catholic school
in Nashville, where she was a boarding student
. She graduated in 1961.
as a teenager, to seek fame as a mainstream film
star. While she did manage to get some minor roles in mainstream movies, including The Way We Were
, the fame she sought was fleeting. Desperate for work, she decided to pursue a career as a porn star
. She appeared in more than 60 hardcore porn
films throughout the 1970s and early to mid-1980s, and distinguished herself as one of the more recognizable porn stars in the early New York adult film industry.
During her heyday as a porn actress, True was hired by a real estate business in Jamaica
to appear in their commercials. During her stay on Jamaica, a political crisis gripped the island, and no one was allowed to leave with any money. Not wanting to lose her pay, True asked her friend, record producer
Gregg Diamond
, to travel to the island and produce a track for her, which she would finance locally. Diamond arrived with a composition in hand, to which True added her vocals. The result of their collaboration was "More, More, More
."
By the time of her singing career, True admitted she was burned out and tired of porn, saying "I'd rather be a waitress or a typist than make another adult film." Ultimately remixed by producer Tom Moulton
, "More, More, More" became a favorite in discos and nightclub
s. It ultimately reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and a full album
with the same title soon followed. The single also reached the charts in the United Kingdom
(where it peaked at No. 5) and Germany
(where it reached No. 9). In early 1977, True released the single
"N.Y. You Got Me Dancing" from her follow-up album, White Witch. The single became True's second biggest hit, reaching No. 27 on Billboard
's pop chart. In 1978, she had a second hit in the UK
with "What's Your Name, What's Your Number," which peaked at No.34 in the UK.. Both albums included studio musicians with a new band assembled for the tour, the second line-up which included future Kiss
guitarist Bruce Kulick. In 1980, she released her third and final album, War Machine, a more hard rock
-oriented album; released only in Europe, it flopped.
After her third album failed, True briefly attempted returning to porn, but at nearly 40, she was too old for a comeback. She also could not return to music because a goiter
that developed on her vocal cords required surgery, which ended her singing.She then began a new, more low-profile career as a psychic reader.
True continued receiving royalties from her music, and "More More More" remained a popular song on TV and movies. True received a renewed burst of publicity when the Canadian
group, Len
, sampled
the instrumental break from "More, More, More" in their own hit single
, "Steal My Sunshine
." She since appeared on several VH1
specials including Where Are They Now
in 1999, VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in 2001 ("More, More, More" was the No. 45 greatest dance song), and VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders in 2003, in which she said she wants to be remembered as a person who "gave people pleasure" — then emphasized the words — "with my music." She also made an appearance in the 2005 documentary movie Inside Deep Throat
.
True died on November 7, 2011, at a hospital in Kingston, New York
, near her home in Woodstock. A longtime friend, Louise Marsello, said the cause was heart failure. In line with her wishes, she was cremated. She had no close family at the time of her death.
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
adult film star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
and singer from the disco era. In addition to her given name, she had multiple stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s, including Inger Kissin, Singe Low, Sandra Lips, Andrea Travis, and Catherine Warren, .
She is best known for the disco tune "More, More, More
More, More, More
"More, More, More" is a song written by Gregg Diamond and recorded by American disco artist Andrea True, who performed under the name "The Andrea True Connection"...
", released in 1976, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1976.
Early life
Andrea Marie Truden was born in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She attended Saint Cecilia Academy, an all-girl Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
in Nashville, where she was a boarding student
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. She graduated in 1961.
Career
True moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a teenager, to seek fame as a mainstream film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
star. While she did manage to get some minor roles in mainstream movies, including The Way We Were
The Way We Were
The Way We Were is a 1973 American romantic dramatic film co-starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay by Arthur Laurents was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee.A box...
, the fame she sought was fleeting. Desperate for work, she decided to pursue a career as a porn star
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
. She appeared in more than 60 hardcore porn
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
films throughout the 1970s and early to mid-1980s, and distinguished herself as one of the more recognizable porn stars in the early New York adult film industry.
During her heyday as a porn actress, True was hired by a real estate business in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
to appear in their commercials. During her stay on Jamaica, a political crisis gripped the island, and no one was allowed to leave with any money. Not wanting to lose her pay, True asked her friend, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Gregg Diamond
Gregg Diamond
Gregg Diamond was a pianist, drummer, songwriter, and producer who was active in the jazz and disco music scenes of the 1970s.-Career:...
, to travel to the island and produce a track for her, which she would finance locally. Diamond arrived with a composition in hand, to which True added her vocals. The result of their collaboration was "More, More, More
More, More, More
"More, More, More" is a song written by Gregg Diamond and recorded by American disco artist Andrea True, who performed under the name "The Andrea True Connection"...
."
By the time of her singing career, True admitted she was burned out and tired of porn, saying "I'd rather be a waitress or a typist than make another adult film." Ultimately remixed by producer Tom Moulton
Tom Moulton
Tom Moulton is an American record producer, and originator of the remix, the breakdown section, and the 12-inch single vinyl format.-Life and career:Thomas Jerome Moulton was born in Schenectady, New York, United States....
, "More, More, More" became a favorite in discos and nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. It ultimately reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and a full album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
with the same title soon followed. The single also reached the charts in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(where it peaked at No. 5) and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(where it reached No. 9). In early 1977, True released the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"N.Y. You Got Me Dancing" from her follow-up album, White Witch. The single became True's second biggest hit, reaching No. 27 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's pop chart. In 1978, she had a second hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with "What's Your Name, What's Your Number," which peaked at No.34 in the UK.. Both albums included studio musicians with a new band assembled for the tour, the second line-up which included future Kiss
Kiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
guitarist Bruce Kulick. In 1980, she released her third and final album, War Machine, a more hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-oriented album; released only in Europe, it flopped.
After her third album failed, True briefly attempted returning to porn, but at nearly 40, she was too old for a comeback. She also could not return to music because a goiter
Goitre
A goitre or goiter , is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx...
that developed on her vocal cords required surgery, which ended her singing.She then began a new, more low-profile career as a psychic reader.
True continued receiving royalties from her music, and "More More More" remained a popular song on TV and movies. True received a renewed burst of publicity when the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
group, Len
Len (band)
Len is a Canadian alternative rock group from Toronto, Ontario. They are best known as a one-hit wonder for their song "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. The band consists of siblings Marc Costanzo and Sharon Costanzo .-Studio albums:...
, sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
the instrumental break from "More, More, More" in their own hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Steal My Sunshine
Steal My Sunshine
"Steal My Sunshine" is a song written by Marc Costanzo for Len's third album You Can't Stop the Bum Rush. The backdrop is based on a sample of a short instrumental portion of Andrea True Connection's 1976 disco single "More, More, More"...
." She since appeared on several VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
specials including Where Are They Now
Where Are They Now
"Where Are They Now" is a song recorded by English Oi!/punk rock band Cock Sparrer in 1982, from their album Shock Troops. The lyrics comment on the previous six years of the punk subculture. The song portrays the early years of the punk movement in a negative light, bemoaning the lack of...
in 1999, VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in 2001 ("More, More, More" was the No. 45 greatest dance song), and VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders in 2003, in which she said she wants to be remembered as a person who "gave people pleasure" — then emphasized the words — "with my music." She also made an appearance in the 2005 documentary movie Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat is a 2005 American documentary about the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat and its effects on American society.The film is narrated by Dennis Hopper. The documentary was written, produced, and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and produced by Brian Grazer...
.
True died on November 7, 2011, at a hospital in Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, near her home in Woodstock. A longtime friend, Louise Marsello, said the cause was heart failure. In line with her wishes, she was cremated. She had no close family at the time of her death.
Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Black Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | More, More, More | 49 | 47 |
| 1977 | White Witch | — | — |
| 1980 | War Machine (Europe only) | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Black Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Club |
US Disco |
CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1976 | "Call Me" | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | More, More, More |
| "Keep It Up Longer" | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | ||
| "More, More, More More, More, More "More, More, More" is a song written by Gregg Diamond and recorded by American disco artist Andrea True, who performed under the name "The Andrea True Connection"... " |
4 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| "Party Line/Fill Me Up/Call Me" | — | 95 | 9 | — | — | — | ||
| "Party Line" | 80 | — | 4 | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "N.Y., You Got Me Dancing" | 27 | — | 4 | — | 89 | — | White Witch |
| "What's Your Name, What's Your Number" | 56 | — | 9 | — | — | 34 | ||
Partial filmography
- Meatball (1972) (as Singe Low)
- Hot Channels (1973)
- Devil's Due (1973)
- Madame Zenobia (1973) (as Inger Kissen)
- Deep Throat Part II (1974)
- Illusions of a Lady (1974)
- Lady on the Couch (1974)
- The Chamber Maids (1974)
- The Seduction of Lynn Carter (1974)
- Mash'd (1976)