Kate Bush - Wonderful Woman No. 55

Kate Bush - Born 1958
British Singer, Songwriter, Musician and Record Label Owner

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Gavin

A few months before I was born, a record called Wuthering Heights (based on the novel by Emily Bronté, with whom Kate shares a birthday) was released in the United Kingdom. It is a record I have heard throughout my life and it never ages or sounds outdated. You know, for that record alone, I would be happy to include her as a wonderful woman.

Wuthering Heights is the very first song I can remember hearing as a small child.
Richard, A Wonderful Man

Kate's career began when at sixteen, her demo tape was heard by David Gilmore of Pink Floyd. Though she had already wrote many songs and was signed to a record label, she did not release her debut album The Kick Inside until 1978, by then aged nineteen. She has, so far, released ten studio albums, the last 50 Words for Snow in 2011. She has won a string of awards both as a musician and a songwriter, including an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

I don't believe in God, but if I did, her music would be my bible.
Tricky, Hip-hop Artist

Kate has always been experimental and eclectic in her musical style. If you were to categorise all her records, you would find the genres pop, rock, folk and electronica, plus a bunch of sub-genres and uncategorisable ones too. I think of her as an intelligent lyricist, referencing historical events and pieces of literature, she creates a character and tells a story through her song.

Her songs read like scenes from short stories, or the stories themselves (odd ones). It's hard to think of a novelist, let alone another singer-songwriter, who takes on such diverse narrative viewpoints with Bush's aplomb.
David Mitchell, Author

As well as telling stories through her lyrics, Kate creates stories through modern dance and visual art. Her image changed to reflect the story of the song. Like previous Wonderful Women, Grace Jones (Wonderful Woman No. 50 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/grace-jones-wonderful-woman-no-50.html) and Bjórk (Wonderful Woman No. 31 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/bjork-wonderful-woman-no-31.html), Kate has been able to use herself as a piece of living art.

Kate now has her own record label, Fish People, with which she has released two albums. This has given her more over-all control of what she creates and allows her to produce music from her home-studio.

Wonderful for her individuality, her creativity, her intelligence and mostly, for what can only be described as raw talent.

I think really the biggest inspiration is people, I think, people are just so inspiring, they're fascinating and wonderful and, I think, you know, that nearly every idea that a person has had has probably at some point, come from another person.
Kate Bush