Tori Amos

The Profile

American singer-songwriter and pianist Myra Ellen 'Tori' Amos (born 1963 in Newton, North Carolina) rose to prominence with piano-driven, confessional albums beginning with Little Earthquakes (1992).

Publicly documented facts from the reviews: born Myra Ellen Amos (1963) in Newton, North Carolina; daughter of a Methodist pastor and of Cherokee descent; enrolled at Peabody Conservatory as a child and expelled at eleven; early band Y Kant Tori Read with a self-titled 1988 release; solo breakthrough with Little Earthquakes (1992); recurring themes in her work include religion, female experience, motherhood, miscarriage and sexual assault (notably referenced in Me & A Gun); has recorded both solo piano shows and band-backed tours; signed to Epic after a long period with Atlantic; husband Mark Hawley worked on production; frequent collaborator Marcel van Limbeek; active recording and touring career spanning from the 1980s to the present.

DeBaser hosts a range of reviews on Tori Amos covering seminal early albums, later experiments and live shows. Critics praise her piano-driven songwriting and lyrical bravery while noting uneven later periods. The site’s reviewers repeatedly highlight Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink and Boys for Pele.