Beth Orton
| Beth Orton | |
|---|---|
Orton at the Mojo club night at the Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell 2009
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elizabeth Caroline Orton |
| Born |
2 July 1971 East Dereham, Norfolk, England |
| Origin | Norwich, England |
| Genres | Folktronica, folk rock, trip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels |
Heavenly (1996–2005) EMI-UK (2005–present) Astralwerks (2003–2010) ANTI- (2010– ) |
| Associated acts | The Chemical Brothers, William Orbit |
| Website | BethOrtonOfficial.com |
Elizabeth Caroline "Beth" Orton (born 2 July 1971) is an English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers in the mid-1990s. Her UK/US debut solo album, Trailer Park, garnered much critical acclaim in 1996. Orton developed a devoted audience with the release of the BRIT Award-winning album Central Reservation (1999) and the 2002 UK top 10 album, Daybreaker. Her 2006 album Comfort of Strangers was followed by a hiatus during which Orton gave birth to her daughter and collaborated with the legendary British guitarist Bert Jansch. Orton returned with Sugaring Season in 2012, which moved towards a purer acoustic sound, followed by a return to electronic music with Kidsticks, released in 2016.
American films and television programmes such as Felicity, How to Deal, Charmed, Dawson's Creek, Vanilla Sky and Grey's Anatomy have featured her music and provided her with exposure to a more mainstream American audience.
Orton was born in East Dereham, Norfolk, but moved to Dalston, east London at age 14. Her father, a public relations consultant and journalist, left her mother when Beth was 11, and she lived with her mother, a journalist and political activist, and her two brothers, her father dying shortly afterwards. Her mother died from cancer in 1989, when Beth was aged 19, which led to her travelling to Thailand for a short period, residing with Buddhist nuns. Upon returning to London, Orton worked at jobs such as a waitress at Pizza Hut, and even briefly owning her own catering company. Orton was an actress before becoming a musician, initially enrolling at the Anna Scher Theatre School. She toured in an experimental stage adaptation of Une Saison en Enfer with a theatre company touring throughout the UK, Russia and Ukraine, playing Rimbaud's lover.
...
Wikipedia