Nancy Lee Andrews is a former international model turned photographer who is based in Nashville. She published a collection of her photography, A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll, in 2008.
Early life
Andrews was born on May 14, 1947 in Jersey City, New Jersey. When Andrews turned seventeen, she literally bumped into television legend Arthur Godfrey on a busy Manhattan street. She shared her bad day with the radio icon and a quick friendship blossomed. He arranged for Andrews a meeting with Ford Models. It turned out to be his last day in Manhattan and he wanted to leave the city by doing a good deed. Andrews was on the other side of the camera for years, working as a Ford model for some of the greatest photographers of the 1960s and 1970s. They included Richard Avedon, Dick Ballerian, Irving Penn, Hiro, Bert Stern, Gordon Munro, and Milton Greene, who recognized that Andrews had a burning desire to click the shutter.
Rock photographer
Encouraged by former Beatle Ringo Starr, Andrews began shooting fashion assignments for designer boutiques along Rodeo Drive and trendy Melrose Avenue. She branched quickly into the music business, snapping photos of many rock performers as well as shooting publicity and photo packages for two of Starr's albums – Ringo the 4th, where Andrews used Rita Wolf as a model in the photo shoot, the front cover shows Wolf's legs and she is sitting on Ringo's shoulders. The back cover is a photo taken from the back of Ringo and Wolf showing Wolf's bottom in tight pink pants. Andrews also photographed Bad Boy.
Nashville
Andrews moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1994 and opened her photography studio in Cummins Station the following year. In 1996 she was appointed director of photography for Twang, a Vanity Fair take on country music. In addition to CD packages and promotional photography for major labels, her work has appeared in and on the covers of McCall's, USA Today, JAZZIZ, Penthouse, Black Enterprise, Music Row, People, and several other music publications. She also shoots for many advertising agencies.
