Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on 22 August 1963 in Newton, North Carolina, United States) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on 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. She was expelled at age eleven for, in her own words, insisting on playing by ear and because of her interest in popular rock music. Amos was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990's and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. ...show more

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on 22 August 1963 in Newton, North Carolina, United States) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on 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. She was expelled at age eleven for, in her own words, insisting on playing by ear and because of her interest in popular rock music. Amos was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990's and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument.

She is known for her emotionally intense songs that cover a wide range of subjects including sexuality, religion and personal tragedy. Some of her charting singles include Crucify, Silent All These Years, Cornflake Girl, Caught a Lite Sneeze, Professional Widow, Spark and A Sorta Fairytale, her most 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 ribald comments during concerts and interviews, she has earned a reputation for being highly idiosyncratic.

As a social commentator and sometimes activist, some 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, North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, where she began to play the piano. By age five, she had begun composing instrumental pieces on piano and, while living in Rockville, Maryland, she won a full scholarship to the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory of Music (still aged five). Her scholarship was discontinued at age 11 and she was asked to leave. ...show less