Melora Creager

Melora Creager (b. March 25, 1966) is an American cellist, singer-songwriter, and founder of the rock band Rasputina. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Emporia, Kansas, Creager began studying music at age 5 and started playing cello at 9. She briefly stopped playing during her teens but resumed while attending art schools on the East Coast. In the late 1980s, she performed with indie rock band Ultra Vivid Scene before founding Rasputina in 1991, recruiting members through a manifesto and want-ad.

Rasputina, known for blending history and humor with alternative cello-driven rock, explores themes like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Howard Hughes, and women’s history. After releasing two albums with Columbia Records, Creager established her own label, Filthy Bonnet Recording Co., in 2005. She has influenced movements like freak folk and steampunk through over eight albums and frequent touring.