Born in North Carolina but raised in Maryland， Tori Amos was the daughter of a Methodist1 preacher 2. By the age of four， she was singing and playing the piano in the church choir； she began writing her own songs shortly afterward. Amos moved to Los Angeles in her late teens to become a pop singer.
Atlantic Records signed her in 1987， recording an uninspired3 pop-metal album called Y Kant Tori Read the following year. The record was a complete failure， attracting no attention from radio or press and selling very few copies； nevertheless， she didn't lose her record contract. By 1990， Amos had adopted a new approach4. Atlantic sponsored a trip to England in 1991， where she played a series of concerts in support of an EP， Me and a Gun. It gained positive reviews throughout the media， and both the EP and the concerts sold well.
Little Earthquakes， Amos' first album as a singer/songwriter， was released in late 1991 and sold well in both the U.S. and the U.K. In 1992， she released the Crucify 5 EP. Delivered in early 1994， Under the Pink6， the follow-up to Little Earthquakes， was a bigger hit， selling over a million copies and launching7 the hit singles " God" and " Cornflake Girl."
Two years later， Amos delivered her third album， Boys for Pele， her most ambitious and dif ficult record to date. The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. Amos spent much of 1997 dealing with personal matters， and working on her fourth album， From the Choirgirl8 Hotel， which was released in the spring of 1998. The two-disc To Venus and Back followed in 1999.
Known for the sexual way that she plays the piano while in concert and for her radical9 and often rebellious10 lyrics， Tori has developed a huge fan base and much critical acclaim. She is now happily married， has just recently given birth to a baby girl， and continues to please her millions of fans——earning some new ones along the way.
桃瑞·阿莫斯出生在北卡罗来纳州，成长在马里兰州，她是一个卫理公会牧师的女儿。从4岁起，她就在教堂的唱诗班演唱和弹奏钢琴，而且很快就开始自己写歌谱曲。阿莫斯十几岁时迁往洛杉矶，立志要当一名流行歌手。
1987年，大西洋唱片公司与阿莫斯签约，并于次年录制了一张名为《托里为何不识字》的流行金属乐专辑，该专辑不具感染力，遭到彻底失败，没有引起电台和报界的关注，销量极小，但她并没有因此而失去与公司的合约。到了1990年，阿莫斯采用了全新的风格。1991年，大西洋公司资助她赴英格兰，在那里她举办了一系列推广一张名为《我和一支枪》的大碟的演唱会。该张大碟获得了媒体的一致肯定，大碟和演唱会都收入颇丰。
《小小地震》是阿莫斯第一张自编自唱的专辑，该专辑在1991年末发行后分别在美国和英国取得了骄人的销量。1992年，她推出大碟《十字架上的折磨》。1994年初，她又推出了《小小地震》的后续之作《激进》，获更大成功，唱片销售了百万多张，还打响了走红单曲"上帝"和"玉米片女孩".
两年后，阿莫斯又发行了她的第三张专辑《佩雷来的男孩》，这也是她至今最雄心勃勃、制作也最艰难的专辑。专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。阿莫斯将1997年的大部分时间都用在了处理个人事务上，同时在筹备自己的第四张专辑《来自唱诗班女孩饭店》。该专辑于1998年春季推出，随后1999年她又推出了双碟专辑《维纳斯一游》。
阿莫斯以在音乐会上弹奏钢琴时的性感表演和偏激反叛的歌词而著称，她借此发展了一大批歌迷，也赢得了评论界的喝彩。现在她婚姻生活幸福美满，刚有了一个女儿。她会继续报答千百万她的歌迷——还会发展壮大这支队伍。
注释：
1.Methodist adj.卫斯理宗教会的
2.preacher n.传道士，牧师
3.uninspired adj.没有生气的，缺乏创举的
4.approach n.方式，方法
5.crucify vt.把…的手脚钉（捆）在十字架上处死
6.pink adj.激进的，激烈的，极端的
7.launch vt.将…投放市场
8.choirgirl n.唱诗班的女童歌手
9.radical adj.激进的，过激的
10.rebellious adj.反叛的
