Tori Amos is a pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer from the United States. This enormously talented recording artist is a classically trained musician who is well-known in the music industry as one of the few alternative rock singers who performs exclusively on the piano. From her early days in a band to her illustrious solo career, she has had an enormously successful career and ascended to great heights in the music world. She has never allowed her obstacles, her own rebelliousness, creative or financial disagreements, or the avarice of a record label to prevent her from composing music in her own distinct style. From recording in a church and incorporating gospel choirs and drum programming to incorporating bagpipes, harpsichord, and harmonium, her albums have consistently surprised and delighted the mainstream audience. The lyrical content of her later works is said to assist women in coping with abuse and the emotional trauma associated with misogyny. While the devoted listener grows fonder of her music, the critics are praising her work for its intensity and uniqueness. Her numerous works cover a range of subjects, from American history to pornography and homophobia to religion and politics. Continue reading to learn more about this artist whose fan base has remained consistent for over 30 years.
Childhood & Adolescence
Tori Amos was born in North Carolina on August 22, 1963, to Mary Ellen and the Reverend Edison Amos. She began playing the piano at the age of two and began composing at the age of five. After receiving a scholarship, she enrolled in the ‘Peabody Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Division.
By the time she was 11, she had developed an aversion to sheet music and refused to read it. She began performing at gay bars and piano bars following her expulsion, accompanied by her father.
She won a county teen talent contest in 1977 with her rendition of ‘More Than Just a Friend’. After establishing herself as a pianist in Washington, D.C., she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.
Career of Tori
In 1986, she founded the musical group ‘Y Kant Tori Read’ to commemorate her time at Peabody Conservatory.
The self-titled debut album by Y Kant Tori Read was released in 1988. Following the failure of the album, she began working as a backup vocalist for other prominent artists. She wrote ‘Distant Storm’ for the film ‘China O’Brien’ around that time. The song is credited to a band called ‘Tess Makes Good’ in the credits.
In 1992, she was compelled by contractual obligations to record her breakthrough album, ‘Little Earthquakes.’
Her 1994 album ‘Under the Pink’ debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Alternative Music Album.
In 1998, she released her debut album, ‘From the Choirgirl Hotel,’ which lacked Amos’s signature piano-based music. In its first week, the debut sold more than 153,000 copies. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of ‘Best Alternative Music Album.’
In 1999, she released her album ‘To Venus and Back,’ which received positive reviews. The album featured the first major-label single to be sold digitally. It was nominated for a Grammy in the category of ‘Alternative Music Album.’
In 2001, in order to fulfill a contractual obligation with the record label ‘Atlantic,’ she recorded songs about women written by men and reversed the gender roles to demonstrate a woman’s perspective. As a result, the Grammy-nominated album ‘Strange Little Girls’ was released. The album enabled her to withhold a new track, as she felt Atlantic had not adequately promoted her.
Scarlet’s Walk, a sonic novel concept album released in 2002 in conjunction with a cross-country concert tour in the aftermath of 9/11, made a strong debut and was certified gold by the RIAA. A year later, she published ‘Tales of a Librarian,’ a collection of retrospective essays.
Amos co-authored an autobiography titled ‘Piece by Piece’ with rock music journalist Ann Powers in 2005 to coincide with the release of the album ‘The Beekeeper’. The book discusses Amos’ fascination with mythology and religion, as well as her songwriting process, meteoric rise to fame, and relationship with Atlantic Records.
In 2006, her record labels released a two-disc DVD set titled ‘Fade to Red’ and a five-disc box set titled ‘A Piano: The Collection’ to commemorate her 15-year solo career. They included remastered album tracks, remixes, alternate mixes, demos, and an unreleased batch of songs from the album’s recording sessions.
In 2009, she released ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin,’ her tenth solo studio album and the seventh to chart in the top ten of the Billboard 200. Later that year, she released ‘Midwinter Graces,’ an album of reworked traditional carols.
In 2010, she recorded vocals for ‘Fatboy Slim’ and released the extremely limited edition live album ‘From Russia With Love’.
In 2011, she released her debut classical music album, ‘Night of Hunters,’ which features tributes to Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie, and Schubert.
In 2012, she released ‘Gold Dust’ and founded her own record label, ‘Transmission Galactic.’ She collaborated with ‘The Bullitts’ on the track ‘Wait Until Tomorrow’ from their debut album ‘They Die by Dawn & Other Short Stories’ in 2013. In 2014, she released ‘Unrepentant Guidelines,’ her fourteenth studio album.
Significant Works of Tori
In 1996, she released ‘Boys for Pele,’ an album that featured intricate baroque music and was nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Alternative Music Album.’ It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and in the UK Top 40 upon its transatlantic release.
Both ‘The Beekeeper’ (released in 2005) and ‘American Doll Posse’ (released a few years later) debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200. These two albums established her as a member of an exclusive group of female recording artists who have achieved five or more US Top 10 album debuts.
Awards and Accomplishments
Since 1992, she has sold over 12 million albums worldwide, performed over 1,000 live shows, and received over eight Grammy nominations.
In 2003, ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine readers named her the fifth best touring act. In October 2012, she was inducted into the ‘North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.’
Personal History and Legacies
In 1998, she married Mark Hawley, an English sound engineer. Two years later, their daughter Natashya Lórien Hawley was born.
She is a close friend of Neil Gaiman’s. In her song ‘Tear in Your Hand,’ she made reference to him. This prolific artist is a supporter of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), a toll-free help line in the United States that connects callers to their nearest rape crisis center. RAINN received proceeds from a concert held in honor of her 50th birthday.
Estimated Net Worth
Tori Amos is a singer-songwriter and musician who has a net worth of $60 million. Tori Amos began her career as the lead singer of the 80s pop group Y Kant Tori Read. Following this, she broke out as a solo artist in the early 90s with such hit singles as “Crucify,” “Silent All These Years,” and “God.” Amos has received multiple Grammy and MTV VMA nominations for her music.