Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons (born 4 January 1965) is an English singer-songwriter who is the singer and lyricist for the band Portishead, who have released three albums. She released an album with Rustin Man, Out of Season, in 2002, and a recording of Górecki's Symphony No. 3 with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2019. In 2024, she released a solo album, Lives Outgrown.[3]
Beth Gibbons
Singer-songwriter
Vocals, guitar, keyboards
1991–present
Early life[edit]
Gibbons was born in Exeter, Devon, England[4][1] and raised on a farm with three sisters. Her parents divorced when she was young.[5] She attended St Katherine's School in Pill, Somerset, in North Somerset.
At 22, she moved to Bath, then Bristol to pursue her singing career, where she met Geoff Barrow, her future collaborator in Portishead, on an Enterprise Allowance course in 1991.[6]
Style and inspiration[edit]
She has cited Nina Simone, Bono of U2 for his performance on The Joshua Tree, Otis Redding and Jimmy Cliff as inspirations.[5][19] She has covered Janis Joplin songs and enjoys the music of Janis Ian.[20]