Memorable Mondays: Tori Amos

 Tori Amos is probably more known for being a bit on the strange side than other things, but to start with she was a bit of a musical prodigy. It usually is the geniuses with the strange attributes, but a little biography is due to show off where this mysterious ginger appeared from. 

Myra Ellen Amos was born August 22nd, 1963 in North Carolina during a family trip away from their Washington DC home. Her father was a Methodist preacher, and she was their third child. 

At the age of two, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. Her two older siblings took piano lessons but Tori taught herself. By the age of three she was composing her own songs. She described music as a light, consistent with Chromesthesia. 

At five years old she became the youngest person admitted to the Peabody institute. She studied piano from 1968 to 1974. She was dismissed from the school which she equated to her dislike of reading sheet music and a love for rock and popular music. 

In 1974, her family moved to Silver Spring and she began performing live at gay bars and piano bars, chaperoned by her father. 

In 1977, she won a country songwriting contest and she also wrote a song with her brother called "Baltimore". She did not win the contest for this track, but it became her first 7 inch single distributed to friends and family. At this point, she was still Ellen, although considering a stage name of Sammy Jaye. She chose Tori because a friend's boyfriend had told her she looked like a Torrey pine tree. 

By the time she was 17, Tori had a multitude of demos that her father helped send around multiple record labels. Narada Michael Walden responded favorably but none of their recordings ended up releasing. Eventually, Atlantic records became interested. 

In 1984, Tori moved to Los Angeles to try and continue to advance her career. By 1986, Tori had started a band called Y Kant Tori Read, a reference to her removal from Peabody for her dislike of reading sheet music. The band released one album that was a critical failure, and led to the breaking up of the band. Tori claims the only good thing about that album was her boots. 

The failure of the release led to her working with new artists as a backup singer. She also recorded a movie song under the name "Tess Makes Good". 

Despite the failure of her band effort, Tori still had a 6 album contract with Atlantic. They wanted an album to release in 1990. The original submission was rejected, and with a team overseeing to help her, this work was expanded and built upon. It became her debut solo work, Little Earthquakes, which discussed her religious upbringing, awakenings, and her sexual assault. It released in 1992 to a slow rise on the charts.it was received very well critically, some perceiving it as very intimate and like being part of a therapy session.  

Travelling to New Mexico with aid and boyfriend of the time, Eric Rosse, she began work on her second album. It became Under the Pink, released in 1994. It received favorable reviews, but was more of a success in Europe than America. The album continued the themes of her first, and includes hit "Cornflake Girl". 

Tori continued her work with her next release. She desired a new approach, less involved with executives. This led to Boys for Pele, released in 1996. It was met with mixed reviews. The content is a bit "left field" and left some people a bit lost.  It was her first release entirely produced on her own. It received great reception overseas but a bit lackluster in the US. 

She carried on her new experimental side by making herself a studio in a barn at her home in Cornwall. Her first album here was From the Choirgirl Hotel, released 1998. It moved her from piano based work to more electronic elements. The album also touches on her struggle with a series of 3 miscarriages. It was one of her most successful albums to date. 

In 1999 came the release of a double album, To Venus and Back. The live portion covers the tour for the Choirgirl Hotel, and the main release expands the electronic experimentation that came from the predecessor. It was met with critical praise for expanding vastly from her old sound. 

After the birth of her daughter, Tori released a cover album titled "Strange Little Girls" in 2001. This was covers done in the perspective of a woman instead of a man. It was also her effort to finish her contract with Atlantic, who she felt was not properly promoting her work. 

In late 2001, Amos signed with Epic records. She went on to release Scarlet's Walk in 2002. The concept discussed troubling parts of American history, including 9/11 and Native American history. It is her last album to obtain a gold RIAA certification. 

Tori faced more label issues when Polly Anthony resigned as the lead of Epic, and later Epic merged with BMG due to industry decline.

In 2005 came the release of the Beekeeper, a concept album met with good critical reviews. The concept centered around bees and related femininity to the art of beekeeping. It took inspiration from soul music and she was praised for her use of the Hammond B-3 organ. 

Another concept leaning around Altar egos, the 2007 release American Doll Posse was met with more favorable reviews, although the critics felt the extensive concept would alienate casual listeners. It was her last album with Epic, where after she chose to go independent.

She briefly worked with Atlantic again to release a retrospective collection "Tales of a Librarian" in 2003. Fade to Red was released in 2006 by Rhino which contained most of her solo music videos.

 After announcing her independence, she signed a joint publishing deal with Universal Republic Records, which allowed her to keep artistic freedoms while still having a good reach. Her first independent album Abnormally Attracted to Sin was released in 2009. It was a personal album exploring the subjective nature of sin. She also later released Midwinter Graces, a seasonal album, the same year. 

In 2011, Amos released her first classical leaning effort "Night of Hunters". It pays homage to the greats such as Bach and Chopin. She continued toward this professional direction with an album of reimagined songs from Little Earthquakes titled "Gold Dust", released in 2012. This year she also made her own label imprint to develop new artists. 

In 2014, Amos returned to regular music with Unrepentant Geraldines, an album that returns to her piano stripped back roots. 

In recent years, her output has reduced, affected by political unrest and her mother's stroke and ultimate passing in 2019. 2017 saw the release of Native Invader, an album inspired by politics and environmental issues. Her most recent album, Ocean to Ocean, was released in 2022. Inspired by loss and how to handle it, it also includes some backing vocals done by her daughter. 

If you like something different, authentic, and makes you think, you should definitely give Tori Amos a listen. Her music is not for idle listening, but a captive audience wanting to hear a perspective. Her career is full of rich ideas and loud female empowerment. It certainly is never too late to take a try at this unique artist!