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Andrea True was a unique character. Here was an adult film star from the early days of the porn film industry who became an international superstar as a disco diva.
She was a rare example of a cross-over – which is uncommon even today – of someone who went on to find success outside of the adult film industry, succeeding where so many others have tried and failed.
But when her music and film career waned, she seemed to disappear.
In the last Rialto Report podcast, I attempted to track her down, and we heard from a number of people from Andrea’s life in music and film – and if you haven’t heard it, I recommend that you listen to that episode first.
When I eventually found Andrea, she was living with a friend, a fellow adult film actress from the 1970s, called Valerie Marron. They were living in Woodstock, two hours or so north of New York City.
I didn’t know if Andrea would welcome being contacted, so when she agreed to be interviewed, in person, and on film, I traveled up to meet her as soon as I could get there.
We’re also happy to publish a selection of newspaper articles, one-sheets, and the original Federal Records release of ‘More, More, More’ – and previously unseen photographs taken on tour with Andrea back in 1976 – 1977, courtesy of The Andrea True Connection band member Joey Barbosa.
For more information about disco queens, we recommend First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers by James Arena – which contains an excellent chapter on Andrea.
This podcast is 46 minutes long.
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Andrea True: The Federal Records single
The original 7″ Federal Records release of ‘More, More, More’ in Jamaica, before Tom Moulton remixed it for the hit US release on Buddah Records.
Vocal A-side:
Instrumental A-side:
Andrea True: A selection of news articles and adult film artifacts, in chronological order (more or less..)
Ad for Andrea True’s mother’s Silver Plating business (see name at bottom of ad) – January 3rd, 1954
Andrea (pictured on bottom row, right side) wins an award as a teenager, Nashville Tennessean – May 14th 1960
The Guardian – October 17th 1975
Los Angeles Times, June 25th 1976
Philadelphia Enquirer – June 10th 1976
Courier Post, Camden NJ – June 25th 1976
Los Angeles Times – July 12th 1976
The first iteration of The Andrea True Connection – 1976/77
Paris News, TX – July 16th 1976
Salina Journal, KS – July 18th 1976
Los Angeles Times – July 1976
Nashua Telegraph, NH – July 24th 1976
TV appearance on the Mike Douglas show, News Journal DE – August 5th 1976
Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester NY – September 2nd 1976
Greenville News, SC – October 29th 1976
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY – March 9th 1977
Valley Morning Star, TX – April 30th 1977
Fort Lauderdale News, FL – May 23rd 1975
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH – June 29th 1977
Corpus Christi TX – September 21st 1977
Indianapolis Star, IN – November 16th 1977
News Press, Fort Myers, FL – October 15th 1978
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – December 3rd 1978
Billboard – January 16th 1999
Ad showing the sale of Andrea’s possessions, West Palm Beach Post FL – October 4th 2004
Obituary in the Los Angeles Times, November 25th 2011
Obituary in the Baltimore Sun, November 25th 2011
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The Andrea True Connection on tour
Previously unseen photographs taken on tour with Andrea back in 1976 – 1977, courtesy of The Andrea True Connection band member Joey Barbosa.
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THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I’ve been waiting for this since the amazing Part 1.
Marvelous……….
I remember someone on Facebook asking Rialto Report for an interview with Andrea True a year ago and some clown said “you’ll be lucky…. she died years ago…. even the Rialto Report can’t deliver that”.
Er…….. you’ve done it AGAIN!
I saw that too…. “schooled” fan boy!
YESSSSSSSSS. Awesome.
Great!
The industry is lucky to have this level of quality invested in its stars. Full congratulations to all involved. Andrea True’s story is finally told. And it’s good to hear her voice.
Being a Jamaican who speaks Jamaican Patois natively, I felt a bit squeamish listening to White Witch. The accent is one of the most difficult to effectively imitate without sounding like a Ja-fake-an. However, Miss True did a better than average job of it.
Nice work Ashley and April! I always love the podcasts
Both parts of the interview, are too cool for words, and also sad…. Definitely worth the wait…..
P.S. – Any behind the scenes photos from ILLUSIONS OF A LADY?…. I can’t be the only person that likes that film.
The only thing I can say is I want more…more…more……..
Your two pieces on Andrea True are fantastic. To hear a performer, in their own words, discuss who they are and their journey humanizes their persona and work so beautifully.
I think it was destiny that put you both together. I often add More More More, NY Dancing and What’s Your Name/Number to playlists and they ALWAYS get noted by kids I kno in their 20s… so you were right. Her music keeps resonating.
Thanks for working to expand on her story!
Loved the interview but it left me wanting more. Questions: Why did you wait almost seven years before releasing this material? You said you did a two hour interview but gave us about 33 minutes. What was cut out and did she request certain subjects were off the table? I noticed she smoked in her early movies, was she a smoker at the time of the interview and what was the definitive cause of death? What did she look like when you did the interview? Was she overweight? Underweight? I would kill for a photo.
I realize you want to be respectful to her wishes, but it would really be nice if there was a third part that would fill in the pieces that are missing, like what she was doing when the touring ended after More, More, More stared to wan from the charts. Maybe I need to go back and re-listen to part one, but there must be more info on her quiet years. Did she become a recluse or a cat lady? Did she take on any odd jobs or normal jobs for that matter?
Great job nonetheless. Thank you for all of your hard work.
I also wanted more, more, more! My guess is that we would have gotten more on the years after her disco star had faded had Ashley and April been able to interview her again. But I really enjoyed hearing her voice and knowing she wasn’t ashamed of her adult film career.
One thing I’m curious about, though – you mention in the introduction of this segment that Andrea had agreed to be interviewed on film. Does this mean you have a video version of this interview? If so, will we ever see it?
Did I come to the right place or is this the senate hearings?!
So many questions… it seems like you think that the Rialto team have a duty and responsibility to share what ever they have with you…!
They have just put out a total of 2 hours of podcasts, new pics, etc. etc. of Andrea True and you ask why they waited 7 years…?
I loved it all and am eternally grateful for all the information on this incredible site.
Well said Stevie…
I am big fanclub from THAILAND
Why was there such a long wait to get this out there? Amazing piece as usual though.
Ashley & April both take a truly journalistic look at an industry shunned by nearly all mainstream journalist, and this humanizing story of Andrea was no exception. Kudo’s to both of you for your professionalism and RIP Andrea.
Thank you so much Jonnie!
Thank you so much for the interview. I have oftened wondered where/what happened to Andrea. I hope she was happy, she deserved that.
That hit song is sampled and covered often.
Canadian artist Len used it in Steal My Sunshine in 1999.
Save-On-Foods also out of Canada uses it as a jingle.
Bananarama recorded a cover with several remixes in 1993.
Rachel Stevens recorded two versions in 2004.
Great to see Bruce Kulick (ex Kiss) in some of these pictures…
This was so thought-provoking, salient and tinged with sadness. I cried during this podcast. I remember when news broke of Andrea’s passing and I was genuinely sad then too.
I’ve been obsessed with Andrea for years. ‘More, More, More’ was one of the first albums I ever purchased as a kid. That gorgeous pink album cover still fascinates me to this day. I had no idea of her porn past until I was an adult. Prior to the internet, finding interviews and TV appearances were scarce to say the least. Sometime in the 90’s I found a site selling vintage adult films and a few of her titles were listed. I had to buy one just so I could see her animated. I was too young to have seen any of her concerts so I was just curious to hear her speaking voice. I was ecstatic when she appeared on VH1. She is also interviewed on the ‘Inside Deep Throat’ DVD. This podcast has fully satisfied my curiosity of her Both parts of this interview are so well done.
I do have one criticism. When you are comparing the original Jamaican recording to the what Tom Moulton added, you are not using his version but instead the later re-recording. Which is odd because you play Tom’s mix throughout the podcast.
Thank you Pepe – and thanks for the correction about the recording!
Thank you so much for the interview with Andrea True and the deep research on her very interesting background. “More, More, More” was such a standout pop song back in the day, one I still listen to nearly 45 (!) years after first hearing it–and each time I listen I hear a little something different, whether in Andrea’s voice, the music, or the lyric. I would highly recommend her second album, White Witch, as well.
It’s good to hear that, despite some hardships, she sounded happy, content, and well taken care of near the end of her life, “non, je regrette rien” and all that. My only regret is that I didn’t meet her in person to tell her how much pleasure–with her music–that she gave me.
As a result of your research and this interview, I’m starting to expand the Wikipedia article about Andrea, providing more background on her early years. I’ve cited both The Rialto Report and The First Ladies of Disco as sources. Funnily enough, I already owned a copy of First Ladies of Disco but had totally missed the Andrea True article, so there’s something else to thank you for.
Now to explore more of your interviews, articles, and podcasts ….
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments and the wiki updates John!
Eu escrevi um livro de época, que se passa na Era Disco. A música New York, New York, You got me dancing de Andrea é perfeita para parte da história, que se passa em Times Square. Aliás, tenho certeza que Madonna regravando este hit de Andrea, faria um sucesso estrondoso.
As a contrast to her Disco years, I would totally love to see a video of the TV show she hosted as a teenager. Does anyone have a link for that?
It’s tantalizing to think about what she could have become had she not gotten married so early and followed her husband to New York City. She would probably still be famous as a Nashville broadcaster and / or country music singer.
The idea of a child prodigy going on to become a hardcore porn actress does seem a bit of a letdown. But we have to consider the effect of 1970’s New York City lifestyle on the psyche of a young woman. And this was also the time of Porno-Chic, when porn actually had some respectability. Perhaps if it was nowadays, she would not even have considered it.
I noticed her coughing a couple of times during the interview. That sounds to me like a smokers-cough. If you look at her teeth in the higher resolution pictures of her from the 70s, as well as close-ups of her in her porn videos, they look like they have a black lining, indicative of a heavy smoker. Again, disappointing for someone who started life as child prodigy. But then, we have to remember that she came of age at a time when it was common for half the population to be smokers. And then there’s the effect of losing her Dad at 16 whom she was very close to and having only her (alcoholic?) mother who she wasn’t close to; which may have led her to self-medicating with tobacco. This is probably why she had so many health issues. Heavy smoking does that.
I think it’s possible that if her Dad hadn’t died so young, the trajectory of her life would have been completely different. When a teenage girl…even a prodigy, loses a much loved parent, the emotional effect on her can be devastating.
Did she have access to a piano or keyboard in her final years? Or did she simply lose interest in playing instruments?
You mentioned you made a video of her interview. Is there a link for that, or did you decide not to make it public? The fact that she dolled-up herself for it would indicate that she wanted it shown.
Thank you for the work you put into the research as well as the last interview of Andrea True.
Rest In Peace, Miss True(den)
I was listening to More More More today in my car and remembered back to when that song came out. I also remember seeing many of her movies on the big screen.
Our of curiosity I searched what may have happened to her and learned the sad news.
She was a talent indeed. RIP
Bill
Thanks for the podcast.
I was a young teenager in the 70’s and I remember I was trying to find more information about her when disco music got finally back on the radio at the end of the 90’s and debut of 2000’s and there were so few information on her ion the net except X-Rated movies.
So, I am glad to had access of your work. That was very interesting and I could know a little bit more about her.
I agree with you, I will much rather like to remember her as the singer of “More, more, more” than as porn actress even if she was a very attractive woman.
Sadly she left us too soon but she seems to have an happy life with no regrets, that is the most important.
Marc
What a lovely interview!
My day started out bringing up More, More, More on YouTube & thinking the video looked like soft porn… It made me wonder what happened to Andrea.
What a fun surprise to learn not only was she one of the pioneers of soft porn, but that she went on to disco infamy & wasn’t ashamed of any of it!
Thank you for satisfying my deep dive, I can only imagine what she would say today if she were alive. God rest her soul.
Andrea is a queen!
I wonder what happened to the friendship with “Warren.”