ALONG COMES MARY

When I was offered to host a giveaway for Unrepentant Geraldines, Tori Amos’ new album, I was thrilled but also skeptical…I have given my readers quite a bit of Tori stories lately! 😉 But, after some thought, decided this might be a wonderful opportunity to introduce a few people to her if they’re not familiar with her or perhaps don’t have the new album. Read below for all the scoop & I hope you enter! Good luck! xo

1) While Tori was accepted to The Peabody Conservatory at age 5, she actually began playing piano at 2 & a half! Her family says at that age, she would hear her brothers music, then climb her way up to the piano & was able to re create what she had heard.

2) Despite 1991’s Little Earthquakes is her breakthrough album, some call it her debut…which, technically, its not. She attempted an 80s rock album that failed miserably in 1987, called Y KANT TORI READ (an inside joke since she cannot read music).

3) Her real name is Myra Ellen Amos, & her parents now call her Tori-Ellen. Her daughters full name is Natashya Lorien Hawley (Lorien is a reference to one of Tori’s favorite books, The Lord of the Rings) & her new single, Promise, is a beautiful duet with Mom & Daughter:

4) While recording Little Earthquakes, she opened for Al Stewart from ‘Year of the Cat’ fame, & supposedly he inspired her famous single, Silent All These Years, as she had written it in mind to sell it to Al.

5) While struggling to make it as a musician in LA back in the day, Tori would work in TV; playing a woman on trial on a court show & even beating out Sarah Jessica Parker for a Corn Flakes commercial! (Maybe that explains her famous song in which she sings, “I never was a cornflake girl”??) She also tried out for Howard the Duck.

6) Following a break up in 1994, Tori recorded her epic album, Boys for Pele, where she met sound engineer & her now-husband, Mark Hawley. Hes the sound guy you see at all her shows running the board!

7) Her songs draw from not only her life, but from the stories she hears day after day on tour from her fans. One of the reasons her meet & greets are so important to her. She says she gets inspiration from meeting her fans & reading letters.

8) She is one of the co-founders of RAINN, The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Having suffered from an assault herself, she is a survivor & after recording her stark & raw song, Me and A Gun, she soon realized on an early tour that fans who were sharing their own horrible stories, that these people needed a place to turn to beyond her hugs & support. (RAINN can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE).

9) Tori is rarely not working! Beyond her albums, she also has a best selling auto-biography, a comic book, has contributed to movie soundtracks & most recently, spent most of 2013 getting ready to unveil to us The Light Princess, a musical that debuted to rave reviews on London’s West End.

10) Her birthday is coming up on August 22nd…..

11) And, on that day, I will select 3 winners to receive her newest album, Unrepentant Geraldines, which is her first contemporary pop/rock album since 2009. Her last 3 were very orchestra & classically driven. I absolutely love it & want to give you a copy! 😉  And, if you’re selected as one of the winners (which will be at random via Rafflecopter), I will check in if you’d like a printed photograph of Tori that I took from her meet & greet in LA last month.

Simply fill out this form & GOOD LUCK!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

(*Disclosure: I am working with Universal Music for this giveaway. If you know me even slightly, I have no doubt that you’re aware all opinions are my own as Tori Amos is my favorite musician!)