Biography
Born
Amelia McMahon
in Pittsburgh in 1959, she moved to New York City in 1976. She married
dB's drummer
Will Rigby in the 1980s, and during the late 1980s and early 1990s recorded with New York bands such as
The Shams and
Last Roundup. After divorcing Rigby, her solo career began in 1996.
In 1999 Rigby moved to Nashville to pursue work as a songwriter-for-hire. She later relocated to Cleveland, and in late 2006 moved to France with her boyfriend (now husband),
Wreckless Eric.
Music career
Rigby released her first full-length recording under her own name,
Diary of a Mod Housewife,
in 1996.
Village Voice
critic
Robert Christgau praised the album, calling it "concept album of the year".
Spin
voted Rigby "Songwriter of the Year" for 1996.
Middlescence
and
The Sugar Tree
(like
Mod Housewife
, recorded for
Koch Records), also were well-received by critics and listeners. Koch also released Rigby's compilation album,
18 Again
.
After leaving Koch, she recorded for the
Signature Sounds label, and also sold live CD and DVD material through her website.
Til The Wheels Fall Off,
with its opening track, "Why Do I," produced by
Richard Barone, was released on Signature in 2003, and
Little Fugitive
in 2005. The weekly newspaper
The Nashville Scene
said that
Little Fugitive
"finds Rigby as sharp as ever, even as many of the songs evince the fuzz of dislocation...or the exasperation of a survivor who hasn't lost her sense of humor but knows that jokes have their limits."
She writes lyrics about the trials of a cash-strapped single mother in an uncaring world. "The Good Girls" is a song about consumerism and underemployment, for example. Asked by her manager if she would not be able to write the same kind of songs after starting a happy relationship, she responded "No problem. I'm still poor", before cranking out a lyric about her beau's ex-wife. Another trademark is outrageous sexual humor, as in the songs "I Hate Every Bone in Her Body" and "Are We Ever Going to Have Sex Again?"
Rigby uses basic chord structures derived from '60s rock and pop music. Her records are as notable for their musical sophistication as for their lyrical directness.
Her influences also include New York City punk rock, especially as played at the famous
CBGB club, as well as the Beatles and other mid-1960s pop. One of her recent songs is entitled "Dancing With Joey Ramone."
Laura Cantrell and
Ronnie Spector have recorded compositions by Rigby.
In 2008
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
was released. The album features five of her songs, two songs written by husband
new wave musician
Wreckless Eric. The couple collaborated on three songs. The album is described as combining various influences. The couple are touring to support the album.
[1]
Discography
- Twister
(with Last Roundup), 1987
- Quilt
(with the Shams), 1990
- Sedusia
EP (with the Shams), 1993
- Diary of a Mod Housewife
, 1996
- Middlescence
, 1998
- The Sugar Tree
, 2000
- 18 Again - An Anthology
, 2002
- Til The Wheels Fall Off
, 2003
- Faulkner, Dylan, Heinz and Me
, 2004
- Little Fugitive
, 2005
- Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
, 2008
References
- Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby: The underground royal couple take to Thee Parkside stage San Francisco Chronicle September 4, 2008