Andrea True and Dennis Parker in their musical heydays.
Sex sells–the adult entertainment business reportedly rakes in billions of dollars annually. But porn stars who dabble in musical carreers? Not so much. Remember the “Benihana” single by Marilyn Chambers, the legendary actress from the 1970s classic Behind the Green Door? Didn’t think so. Or porn god Ron Jeremy’s duet with DJ Polo on the track “Freak of the Week” (or his recent Miley Cyrus cover)? Interesting maybe, not surely not a lucrative side job.
There is one exception: Andrea True. A star of such cinematic opuses as The Seduction of Lyn Carter, Deep Throat Part II and American Sex Fantasies, True (real name Andrea Marie Truden) scored a huge hit in 1976 with the disco song “More, More, More,” under the moniker of the Andrea True Connection. That stripper pole-ready track has been featured on compilations and was sampled on “Steal My Sunshine” by one-hit wonders Len in 1999. While better known as a disco diva and an adult film star, True proved she was capable of singing rock and roll on a 1980 song called “War Machine.” Rather than being a “More, More, More” rehash, “War Machine” is a gritty punk/New Wave rocker with some bone-crunching guitar and urgent drumming. Betraying the sex-kitten persona from her bigger hit, True sang more like Grace Slick than Marilyn Monroe on “War Machine.” While it might not be on a par with other classic protest songs, like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” “War Machine” really does hammer the anti-war message home.
Another overlooked musical gem by a star from the golden age of porn was Dennis Parker (real name Dennis Posa), who under the pseudonym of Wade Nichols also made some blue movies in the ’70s: among them “Captain Lust,” “Virgin Dreams” and “Manhole.” With his coiffed hair, chiseled face, and mustache, Parker embodied the stereotypical male porn star of the ’70s and ’80s. (Surprisingly, he also starred in the mainstream soap opera, The Edge of Night, in the early ’80s). Like True, Parker also flirted with disco with the sweeping, cinematic-sounding “Like an Eagle” from 1979, which was co-written by Jacques Morali, who was responsible for guiding the career of the Village People. By no means was Parker a great singer, though he oozed some sex appeal and really rocked silver lamé.
Sadly these two porn stars-turned-singers are now gone: True died at age 68 in 2011, and Parker passed away in 1985 at age 38. Thanks to internet perpetuity though, they live on, proving they could get as down and dirty on the stage as in front of the camera.
