Tori Amos

Artist Image: Tori Amos
Attribution
Image Credit: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA (Tori Amos 12/01/2017 #7), CC BY 2.0

Biography

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She is a classically trained musician and possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Amos originally served as the lead singer of 1980s synthpop group Y Kant Tori Read, and as a solo artist was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s. She was also noteworthy early in her solo career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date. As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for several awards, including 8 Grammy Award nominations. Amos was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1990
Number of Albums 72
Record Label
Website toriamos.com
Wikipedia Tori Amos on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

Where did Amos play when she was a teen?

hotel piano bars

...When Tori Amos was a teenager in the early 80s, gigging at hotel piano bars across Washington, D.C., she liked to occasionally pull the wool over her ...
What is the name of Amos' 16th album?

Ocean to Ocean

...inism, and politics with keen insight. Her justreleased 16th album, Ocean to Ocean , shudders with new, roiling tension. Accompanied by sumptuous orche...
How long has Amos been a musician?

30 years

...ts who shift the way she perceives the world around her. Over the past 30 years , the North Carolinaborn musician has married her extraordinary piano s...
Amos has addressed crises of faith, feminism, and politics with what kind of insight?

keen

...y powerful voice to address crises of faith, feminism, and politics with keen insight. Her justreleased 16th album, Ocean to Ocean, shudders with new,...
What was Amos inspired by during the January riots in Washington?

frustration

...nge and political upheaval fresh on her mind. Inspired in part by the frustration she felt witnessing the January riots in Washington and recorded as ...
Where was Ocean to Ocean recorded?

Cornwall, England

...the January riots in Washington and recorded as she quarantined in Cornwall, England , Ocean to Ocean came together after Amos scrapped an entire album...
At what age did Tori Amos start performing as a lounge pianist?

thirteen

.... Amos started performing as a lounge pianist in bars and clubs at age thirteen . She also played at her fathers church. Career and Musical Achievement...
How many studio albums did Amos record between 1992 and 2011?

seventeen

...the bar circuit of the D.C. area. Between 1992 and 2011, Amos recorded seventeen studio albums. Her concept album Night of Hunters (2011) has been cal...
What concept album has been called a 21stcentury song cycle?

Night of Hunters

...and 2011, Amos recorded seventeen studio albums. Her concept album Night of Hunters (2011) has been called a 21stcentury song cycle. Amos is known for...
Who is known for incorporating themes and musical elements inspired by classical composers?

Chopin, Granados, and Salle

... and musical elements inspired by classical composers such as Chopin, Granados, and Salle in her modern compositions. She merged the raw, lyrical ener...
Amos merged the raw, lyrical energy of alternative rock with a typical what?

70s musical style

... She merged the raw, lyrical energy of alternative rock with a typical 70s musical style that helped the revival of piano as a rock & roll instrument....
What helped the revival of piano as a rock & roll?

She merged the raw, lyrical energy of alternative rock with a typical 70s musical style

...lle in her modern compositions. She merged the raw, lyrical energy of alternative rock with a typical 70s musical style that helped the revival of pia...
What genre of music did piano help revive?

rock & roll

... She merged the raw, lyrical energy of alternative rock with a typical 70s musical style that helped the revival of piano as a rock & roll instrument....
What was Amoss debut album called?

Little Earthquakes

...Though Amoss debut album, Little Earthquakes , received only a smattering of college radio airplay, press coverage, and video exposureMTV could never q...
What was the name of her sophomore album?

Under the Pink

...,000 American homes and earned a gold record. Her sophomore effort, Under the Pink , repeated this trajectory in the spring of 1994, vaulting into the ...
How many homes did Little Earthquakes reach?

600,000

... belonged on Alternative Nation or VH1it quietly insinuated itself into 600,000 American homes and earned a gold record. Her sophomore effort, Under t...
What year did Under the Pink go gold?

1994

...homore effort, Under the Pink, repeated this trajectory in the spring of 1994 , vaulting into the Top Ten and going gold. Amos grew up in Baltimore, Ma...
Where did Amos grow up?

Baltimore, Maryland

...f 1994, vaulting into the Top Ten and going gold. Amos grew up in Baltimore, Maryland , where her father had transplanted his Methodist ministry from i...
In what city did her father transplant his Methodist ministry?

Baltimore

...ing of 1994, vaulting into the Top Ten and going gold. Amos grew up in Baltimore , Maryland, where her father had transplanted his Methodist ministry f...
How many times could Amos reproduce pieces of music she only heard?

once

...y. When she was two, she could reproduce pieces of music shed only heard once , and by age three she was composing her own songs. Amos and the conserva...
At what age was she composing her own songs?

three

...wo, she could reproduce pieces of music shed only heard once, and by age three she was composing her own songs. Amos and the conservatory had a mutual...
When did Amos and the conservatory have a mutual parting of the ways?

when she was 11

...n songs. Amos and the conservatory had a mutual parting of the ways when she was 11 . They know nothing about any other world than their own, she told ...
What year was Myra Ellen Amos born?

1963

... top ten and going platinum. Amos was born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963 , in Newton, North Carolina, the youngest of the three children of the Re...
What was her father's occupation?

Methodist minister

...len Amos on August 22, 1963, in Newton, NC; daughter of Edison (a Methodist minister ) and Mary Ellen Amos; married Mark Hawley (a sound engineer), 199...
Who was my husband's profession?

sound engineer

... (a Methodist minister) and Mary Ellen Amos; married Mark Hawley (a sound engineer ), 1998; children: Natashya. Education: Studied classical piano at t...
Who was Amos's mother?

Mary Ellen Amos

... 1963, in Newton, NC; daughter of Edison (a Methodist minister) and Mary Ellen Amos ; married Mark Hawley (a sound engineer), 1998; children: Natashya....
In what state was Myra Ellen Amos born?

North Carolina

...tinum. Amos was born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963, in Newton, North Carolina , the youngest of the three children of the Reverend Edison Amos and...
Who was the Reverend Edison Amos' wife?

Mary Ellen

...ngest of the three children of the Reverend Edison Amos and his wife, Mary Ellen . Amos grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where her father had transplant...
Who were taking piano lessons?

Her older brother and sister

...ethodist ministry from its original base in Washington, D.C. Her older brother and sister were taking piano lessons, but Amos didn't seem to need them...
At what age could Amos reproduce pieces of music she'd only heard once?

two

...hem. From the time she could reach the keys, she could play. When she was two , she could reproduce pieces of music she'd only heard once, and by age t...
Amos and the conservatory had a mutual parting of what?

the ways

...c she'd only heard once, and by age three she was composing her own songs. Amos and the conservatory had a mutual parting of the ways when she was 11....
At what age did Tori Amos begin playing the piano?

2 12

...nt much of her childhood. She started playing piano at a very early age ( 2 12 ). At the age of five, she was accepted to the Peabody Conservatory of Mu...
At what school was Tori accepted to at the age of five?

Peabody Conservatory of Music

...arly age (2 12). At the age of five, she was accepted to the Peabody Conservatory of Music (Arts school); she was the youngest person to be accepted t...
What instrument did she play at a very early age?

piano

...to Baltimore, where she spent much of her childhood. She started playing piano at a very early age (2 12). At the age of five, she was accepted to the...
At what age was she kicked out of the Peabody Conservatory of Music?

11

...at there were conflicts between her wants and those of the school. At age 11 , she was kicked out thereby making her the youngest person to be expelled...
What year did the band Y Kan't Tori Read release an album?

1988

...ded up in a rock band called Y Kan't Tori Read, who released an album in 1988 . The album was a severe flop, and the band broke up shortly thereafter. ...
What was the name of the rock band in which Tori read was a member?

Y Kan't Tori Read

...led from the school. She eventually ended up in a rock band called Y Kan't Tori Read , who released an album in 1988. The album was a severe flop, and ...
What is Tori known for?

her exceptional skill on the piano

...n for her strong voice, eccentric lyrics, and (of course) her exceptional skill on the piano . She had already gained a following in the Washington, D....
At what age did Amos receive a scholarship to the Peabody Institute?

five

...pkins University, the youngest person ever to have been admitted, at age five . She was expelled at age eleven for, in her own words, insisting on play...
At what university was Amos the youngest person ever to have been admitted?

Johns Hopkins University

...piano, Amos won a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University , the youngest person ever to have been admitted, at age five. ...
Crucify, Silent All These Years, and Cornflake Girl are examples of what?

charting singles

...ts including sexuality, religion and personal tragedy. Some of her charting singles include Crucify, Silent All These Years, Cornflake Girl, Caught a ...
What is Amos' most commercially successful single in the U.S.?

A Sorta Fairytale

...ornflake Girl, Caught a Lite Sneeze, Professional Widow, Spark and A Sorta Fairytale , her most commercially successful single in the U.S. As of 2005, ...
How many records worldwide had Amos sold in 2005?

12 million

... commercially successful single in the U.S. As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million records worldwide. Having a history of making eccentric and at times ...
Amos has a history of making what kind of comments?

eccentric and at times ribald comments

...2 million records worldwide. Having a history of making eccentric and at times ribald comments during concerts and interviews, she has earned a reputa...
What has Amos earned a reputation for being?

highly idiosyncratic

...g concerts and interviews, she has earned a reputation for being highly idiosyncratic . As a social commentator and sometimes activist, some of the top...
What topics has she been most vocal about?

feminism, religion, gay rights and sexuality

... of the topics she has been most vocal about include feminism, religion, gay rights and sexuality . When Amos was 2, her family moved from Newton, Nort...
At what age did Amos begin playing the piano?

2

... about include feminism, religion, gay rights and sexuality. When Amos was 2 , her family moved from Newton, North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, whe...
Amos is a classically trained musician with what range?

mezzosoprano

...She is a classically trained musician with a mezzosoprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full sc...
At what age did Amos leave her scholarship?

eleven

...ngest person ever to have been admitted. She had to leave at the age of eleven when her scholarship was discontinued for what Rolling Stone described ...
What did Rolling Stone call Amos's departure from her scholarship at 11?

musical insubordination

...cholarship was discontinued for what Rolling Stone described as musical insubordination . Amos was the lead singer of the shortlived 1980s pop group Y ...
Amos was the lead singer of what 1980s pop group?

Y Kant Tori Read

...nation. Amos was the lead singer of the shortlived 1980s pop group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 19...
Who was Tori Amos?

American singersongwriter

... American singersongwriter Tori Amos was one of several female artists who combined the stark, lyrical attack of '90s alternative rock with a distinctl...
Little Earthquakes was released in what year?

1992

...ts as she returned focus to pianobased compositions. The resulting album 1992 's landmark classic Little Earthquakes set her on a path to a decadesspan...
Which album was released in 1996?

Boys for Pele

...h chart hits with the seminal Under the Pink (1994) and experimental Boys for Pele (1996). With each successive album, Amos and her piano remained at ...
When did Amos begin singing and playing piano in the church choir?

four

...d. She began singing and playing piano in the church choir at the age of four , and songwriting followed shortly afterward. Amos proved to be a quick l...
At what school was Amos able to attend preparatory school?

Peabody Conservatory

...mos proved to be a quick learner, and her instrumental prowess earned her a scholarship to the preparatory school at Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory ....