Tori Amos, born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963, in Newton, North Carolina, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. A child prodigy, she entered the Peabody Institute at age five. After fronting the 1980s band Y Kant Tori Read, she achieved solo breakthrough in the early 1990s, becoming known for her distinctive alternative rock and piano-driven sound.