Kate Bush
Turning 41 today is Kate Bush, the British
singer/songwriter whose literate art-rock compositions
have influenced a number of today's popular artists,
including Tori Amos and Dolores O'Riordan.
Though singer/songwriter Kate Bush is more revered in
her native Britain than she is in the U.S., her influence
has extended beyond her home country. Bush's
high-pitched, undulating vocals and literate lyrics have
been a blueprint for such '90s American rockers as
Tori Amos.
Catherine Bush, the daughter of a British physician,
was born 41 years ago today in Bexleyheath, England.
She began playing piano at age 11 and was soon
composing her own songs.
Mutual acquaintances told Pink Floyd's David Gilmour
about the teen-age prodigy. Gilmour, impressed with
the youthful artist's interest in the supernatural and her
four-octave vocal range, helped finance the demo that
got Bush signed with EMI Records.
Bush spent two years in the mid-'70s studying music,
dance and mime while writing songs for her first LP.
Bush's first single, "Wuthering Heights," was a smash
in the U.K. and re-ignited interest in the novel of the
same name by Emily Bronte -- who was born on this
day in 1818. In the U.S., rising rocker Pat Benatar
covered the track. Bush's debut LP album, The Kick
Inside (1978), was a top-10 hit in Britain. Lionheart
followed later that year.
"Babooshka" (1980) was Bush's second top-5 single in
the U.K. and was followed by Never for Ever, which
debuted on the British album chart at #1.
The Dreaming (1982) was self-produced by Bush, who
soon constructed a home studio to record future
albums. Hounds of Love (1985) spawned Bush's
best-selling U.S. single, "Running Up That Hill"
(RealAudio excerpt), as well as "Cloudbusting" and
the popular title track. Bush began taking more time
between albums, becoming a studio perfectionist who
experimented with an array of musical styles including
Celtic rhythms.
The Sensual World (1989) was inspired by James
Joyce's "Ulysses." Her box set, This Woman's Work,
was issued in 1990. Three years later came The Red
Shoes, which received mixed reviews but made the top
30 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. To complement
the LP, Bush issued a 50-minute film that she wrote
and directed. She also starred in it with actress
Miranda Richardson and performance artist/mime
Lindsay Kemp.
Last year's I Wanna Be Kate: The Songs of Kate
Bush evidenced Bush's influence on younger
performers. The LP featured a number of
Chicago-based musicians, such as Syd Straw and Poi
Dog Pondering's Susan Voelz, interpreting Bush's
work. Also included on the collection are efforts from
such pop bands as the Aluminum Group and the
Moviegoers, as well as Mouse, the Baltimores, My
Scarlet Life and the Plunging Necklines.
Bush is reportedly working on a new album.
--
gender is just an excuse, relationship shouldn't just be an excuse,
love is often an excuse, although sometimes these excuses are all
we have to hold onto,
death is the reason and living is the celebration
- Beth Orton
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.twbbs.org)
◆ From: h183.s99.ts.hin