Torie Tyson
"Torie Tyson's blend of badass rock and boogie-woogie punk leads us to conclude that she must be the much talked about illegitimate love child of Rod Stewart and Debbie Harry" - Buzz WeeklyBand/artist history
Far be it for me to ask a blonde about her roots. But let me tell ya something about Torie Tyson - her roots are straight outta American rock n' blues. Born in Detroit, Rock City and raised in Chicago, Torie is the daughter of a Copacabana singer who was discovered by Milton Berle. Mom would be proud - at the end of 1997, longtime L.A. streetmag Rock City News awarded Torie Tyson the trophy for "Best Local Pop Rock Performer" the week after she self-released her debut CD, "You're Gonna Get It In The End". A week later, industry stalwart Music Connection selected her as one of "L.A.'s Top 100 Unsigned Local Bands."
Torie's decision to dive headfirst into the musical tidepool came when she saw Elvis Presley's hi-res ghost shimmering in the cathode ray tube with his Vegas rockabilly howl on a rerun of one of his TV concerts. Before that, the pale blue light of the TV screen emitted countless images of the glamour of Hollywood's rock and roll era icons to Tyson. The brooding sedition of James Dean and Marion Brando. The allure of Monroe, the cat scratch of Bette Davis. All of it poured out of the screen and into all of the things that make Torie Tyson, well, Torie Tyson. When her mom was crooning tunes at the birth of the lounge era, Torie was there in spirit sitting on a bike next to Brando, curling her lip at the hiss of Bette Davis, peering into a diamond haze with Marilyn.
"Elvis knocked me off my feet," recalls Tyson. Like her fave movie stars, Tyson was attracted to Presley's larger than life image, and 'star quality' "which is one thing you won't find too much of on today's rock and roll menu," cites Tyson. Inspired as well by the quality rock songsmithing of the Rolling Stones, the vocal vim and vigor of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin, and the new wave antics of Blondie.
Tyson began singing in her teens, only recently throwing down the glove as a full-fledged performer. Her first odyssey was a trip to Marla's Memory Lane (the now defunct R&B/Jazz nightclub owned by actress Marla Gibbs) for a talent night. Tyson recalls, "I was the only white girl there. I got up and did "Hot Legs," and the whole place went crazy. I took first prize." Tyson took first prize at a handful of other local contests, impressing crowds at venues as diverse as gay bars and Country/Western nightclubs. "I wanted to see if I could win over the people who were outside of the rock arena. When I started winning all of these talent contests in front of audiences who generally wouldn't get into my type of music, I figured, hey, maybe I should just go for it."
Her live performances on the L.A. club circuit may seem unfashionable with the almost narcoleptic trend of those who would rather shoe-gaze. But clubgoers fed up with the deliberate impassion of the alterna-snobs from 'you know where' don't seem to mind Tyson's live rambunctions at all.
Recent accomplishments include an appearance on the KLOS "Local Licks" program, several cable television performances, and recognition from places around the globe such as France and Japan...Have you performed in front of an audience?No, I play dead - of course I play live, and all over Los Angeles - see my review section to answer the above questions
Your musical influences
Elvis, Nancy Sinatra, the Stones, Blondie, Tina Turner, the DoorsAdmin
Kiki
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