Tori Amos
From WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Tori Amos a native of North Carolina, has been famous since the mid-1980's because of her unique rock and alternative music. Her determination serves as an inspiration to all of her fans, while critics can't help but admire her strong personality. Nonetheless, her piano, her compositions and her voice may just be some of the things that keep her in the battlefield called life. Cornflake Girl, Silent All These Years, Spark, Crucify, and A Sorta Fairytale are just some of the chart-busting hits of this dynamic pop singer/songwriter.
Contents |
[edit] About
[edit] Starting Out
Myra Ellen Amos or simply Tori Amos to the music enthusiasts, was born of a Methodist preacher in North Carolina and then she was raised in Maryland. By age 4, she was already in the choir of the said church, singing praises and playing the piano.
Not long after, she discovered the inner songwriter in her, then eventually claimed to herself a music scholarship thanks to her musical gift and prowess. Led Zeppelin, a known rock and roll band then, was one of the key influences in the life of Tori Amos. Later, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a pop singer.
While pursuing her dreams and singing in bars at night, she was held a knife-point and sexually assaulted / raped by a fan after a show. That experience eventually made her a stronger person, and inspired her to reach out to people who have had the same or similar life experiences. The experience would later inspire Me and a Gun, a stark a capella song on solo debut.
In 1987, Tori Amos lead a band called Y Kant Tori Read; they released a self-titled pop-metal album under Atlantic Records. This album was an absolute failure. The album had some positive feedbacks from the press, but suffered from dated production and poor exposure from TV and radio. It only sold a few thousand copies. Luckily, her record company gave her a second chance; Tori abandoned glam-rock hair-metal and returned to the piano and her idiosyncratic style of songwriting, part 70's style singer-songwriter, part classically trained pianist and composer.
[edit] Standing Up From The Struggles
She went back to the music scene, aiming to stand from the fall she once took. In 1990, with much influence from both classical piano and Led Zeppelin, she sang fresh, raw songs coupled with enticingly beautiful piano. Her career had a good boost and not so long after she finally was making noise in the music industry. Her debut EP, "Me and a Gun", started the buzz for her first solo album, Little Earthquakes, which would eventually sell more than 3 million copies worldwide. She quickly followed Little Earthquakes with another EP, Crucify, where she poignantly covered the Nirvana classic Smells Like Teen Spirit, turning it into a mournful and bitter piano ballad, showcasing her virtuoso keyboard skill and her keening, haunting vocals.
Under the Pink was the follow up album to Little Earthquakes. It was released in 1994, and brought to the public hit tracks like Cornflake Girl and God. It built on the buzz created by Little Earthquakes, debuting in the Top 10 of both the USA and UK album charts, and garnering very positive reviews from critics.
In 1996, Tori Amos' dedication to give her fans beautiful, honest and strong compositions drove her to produce another yet successful album entitled Boys For Pele, her darkest and most experimental to date. This 18-track concept album featured harpsichord on several tracks. It rocketed all the way to number two and achieved Platinum Certification; despite all of the personal matters that were shaking the singer/songwriter at the time. In 1998 and 1999, she released From The Choirgirl Hotel and To Venus And Back, respectively. These were also successful, largely because of her huge and devotedly loyal fanbase; Atlantic Records had chosen to do the bare minimum of promotion, bt refused to release her from her contract. 2001's cover album, Strange Little Girls, ended her contractual obligation to Atlantic. Strange Little Girls included covers of songs by Slayer and Eminem, among others; in part this was to create buzz in the general public and publicity in the press, to counteract Atlantic Records' refusal to promote her.
After this, she quickly signed to Epic Records, who heavily promoted her next album, 2002's Scarlet's Walk, and its lead single, A Sorta Fairytale, her biggest hit since 1994's Cornflake Girl. Scarlet's Walk showcased a more mellow, classic rock sound than the electronic-rock of her late 90's output or the unhinged quasi-classicism of her first records. She continued further in this direction with 2005's The Beekeeper, but sales were disappointing and fan reaction was divided. Her latest release is 2007's American Doll Posse, where she has created a posse of five characters and sings the album's 23 songs from their different perspectives. It is her most stylistically eclectic album to date, and shows a return to a harder, more aggressive sound, more typical of her late 90's output.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
- Has received 7 Grammy nominations
- Sold close to 20 million albums worldwide
- VH1's 77th greatest woman in rock n' roll history
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Hot Dance Music | Billboard Hot 100 | Modern Rock Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Don't Make Me Come To Vegas | 6 | ||
| 1999 | Bliss | 91 | ||
| 1998 | Jackie's Strength | 1 | 54 | |
| 1998 | Spark | 49 | 13 | |
| 1997 | Silent All These Years | 65 | ||
| 1996 | Caught A Lite Sneeze | 60 | 13 | |
| 1996 | In The Springtime Of His Voodoo | 6 | ||
| 1996 | Professional Widow | 1 | ||
| 1994 | Cornflake Girl | 12 | ||
| 1994 | God | 72 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Crucify | 22 |
| Year | Album | The Billboard 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | American Doll Posse | 5 |
| 2005 | The Beekeeper | 5 |
| 2003 | Tales Of A Librarian | 40 |
| 2002 | Scarlet's Walk | 7 |
| 2001 | Strange Little Girls | 4 |
| 1999 | To Venus And Back | 12 |
| 1998 | From The Choirgirl Hotel | 5 |
| 1996 | Boys For Pele | 2 |
| 1994 | Under The Pink | 12 |
| 1992 | Little Earthquakes | 54 |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
- New tour dates will be posted as they're confirmed. Stay tuned!
[edit] Announcements
- Sept 26, 2006: A Piano: The Collection, Tori's new box set is in stores now.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 1992-02-25 |
 1994-02-01 |
 1996-01-23 |
 1998-05-05 |
 2001-09-18 |
 2002-10-29 |
 2005-02-22 |
[edit] EPs
 1992-07-07 |
 1996-08-20 |
[edit] Singles
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 1992-01 | China |
| 1992-11-25 | Winter |
| 1994-02-03 | God |
| 1994-03 | Pretty Good Year |
| 1994-04-05 | Cornflake Girl |
| 1994-05 | Past the Mission |
| 1996-01-04 | Caught a Lite Sneeze |
| 1996-05-21 | Talula |
| 1996-07 | Hey Jupiter / Professional Widow |
| 1996-12-30 | Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big) |
| 1997-03-04 | Silent All These Years |
| 1998-04-28 | Spark |
| 1998-08-24 | Raspberry Swirl |
| 1998-09-15 | Jackie's Strength |
| 1998-11-24 | Cruel / Raspberry Swirl |
| 1999 | Glory of the 80's |
| 1999-08-24 | Bliss |
| 1999-09-28 | 1000 Oceans |
| 2000-02-07 | Concertina |
| 2001-10-09 | Strange Little Girl |
| 2002-10-14 | A Sorta Fairytale |
[edit] Compilations
 2003-11-18 |
 2006-09-26 |
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- In high school, Tori was voted Homecoming Queen, Choir Flirt, and Most Likely To Succeed.
- Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996.
- Adrien Brody appears in the A Sorta Fairytale video as Tori's love interest. Later that year, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in The Pianist.
