Born Amelia McMahon in Pittsburgh in 1959, she moved to New York City in 1976. She started New York bands The Shams and Last Roundup during the 1980s and early 1990s. She married dB's drummer Will Rigby in the 1980s.
Her first solo album, Diary Of A Mod Housewife, was released in 1996. She and Will Rigby divorced in the late 90s.
Her song 'Don't Break The Heart" has been recorded by Laura Cantrell and They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh, and "All I Want" by Ronnie Spector who included it on The Very Best Of Ronnie Spector. She published a memoir, Girl To City, in 2019. She lives and records in Catskill, New York with her husband and sometime duo partner Wreckless Eric, and tours regularly in the US and UK.