Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14th 1983 in Southgate, London. Her father Mitch recalls singing along to records with his daughter, leaving out the words for Amy to fill them in.
Young Amy received training at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and then later instruction from the acclaimed Sylvia Young Theatre School. She began writing music when she was 13 and started a rap group called Sweet N' Sour with a school mate. She then began singing with a local London jazz band and when a former boyfriend sent one of her early demo tapes to an A&R man it led to a deal with EMI Records.
Since then she has been called the New Queen of Soul, an icon of our generation, she has won comparisons to Sarah Vaughn and Nina Simone among other talents.
Amy's 2003 debut Frank was nominated for the Mercury Prize and won the Igor Novello songwriting prize for best contemporary song with "Stronger than Me". But it was with her second album Back to Black (2006) that she won international acclaim. The record won 5 Grammys including Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. She won a BRIT award in 2007 for Best British Female Artist. She then won 2 more Igor Novello songwriting awards, one for Best Song Musically and Lyrically with "Love is a Losing Game" and another for Best Contemporary Song with "Rehab". Most recently she was working on a project with Tony Bennett and working on a new album slated to come out in November of 2011.
Amy's most beloved music was '60's soul and traditional jazz. She idolized singers like Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday and Etta James. Her sense of style which included what became her trademark beehive and Cleopatra eyes was borrowed from 1960's girl groups like the Ronnettes and the Pips. She said she didn't listen to much "new stuff". "I just like the old stuff, she told SPIN magazine, "It's all quite dramatic and atmospheric. You'd have an entire story in a song. I never listen to, like, white music -- I couldn't sing you a Zeppelin or Floyd song."
Love is a losing Game/Amy Winehouse.
Her own music was heavily influenced by jazz and soul and found a wide audience in a time when music with real instruments and real talent rarely strikes the mainstream. Winehouse either wrote or co-wrote all of her songs on both Frank and Back to Black. Her penchant for songwriting coupled with her extraordinary vocal talent made her a truly inspiring artist.
Her friend Russell Brand said this in an essay on his blog of seeing her perform at the Roundhouse in London:
"I arrived late and as I made my way to the audience through the plastic smiles and plastic cups I heard the rolling, wondrous resonance of a female vocal. Entering the space I saw Amy on stage with Weller and his band; and then the awe. The awe that envelops when witnessing a genius. From her oddly dainty presence that voice, a voice that seemed not to come from her but from somewhere beyond even Billie and Ella, from the font of all greatness. A voice that was filled with such power and pain that it was at once entirely human yet laced with the divine. My ears, my mouth, my heart and mind all instantly opened. Winehouse. Winehouse? Winehouse! That twerp, all eyeliner and lager dithering up Chalk Farm Road under a back-combed barnet, the lips that I'd only seen clenching a fishwife fag and dribbling curses now a portal for this holy sound."
However, with her success came increasing dependence on drugs and alcohol.
"Amy increasingly became defined by her addiction. Our media though is more interested in tragedy than talent, so the ink began to defect from praising her gift to chronicling her downfall." said Brand.
In 2008 she faced a series of health issues including the early stages of emphysema which threatened her career and her life. While her family and friends most recently said that she was on the mend and had quit drugs after her latest stint in rehab, a final performance in Serbia proved that she was still struggling with many of her old demons.
Winehouse was pronounced dead at her Camden home on July 23rd, the causes of her death being yet unknown. On July 26th her passing was mourned at a ceremony in North London which was attended by family, friends and a few dedicated fans. The service was concluded with a rendition of Carole King's "So Far Away", Winehouse's favorite song.
Since her passing countless artists have payed tribute to Winehouse via Twitter and blog posts acknowledging her wonderful talent and the tragedy that is her death.
Lady GaGa Tweeted: "Amy changed pop music forever, I remember knowing there was hope, and feeling not alone because of her. She lived jazz, she lived the blues."
Tony Bennett who recorded a duo of Body and Soul with Winehouse in March said she was"an extraordinary musician with a rare intuition as a vocalist and I am truly devastated that her exceptional talent has come to such an early end. She was a lovely and intelligent person and when we recorded together she gave a soulful and extraordinary performance."
Adele said of Winehouse on her blog:"Amy paved the way for artists like me and made people excited about British music again whilst being fearlessly hilarious and blase about the whole thing. I don’t think she ever realized just how brilliant she was and how important she is, but that just makes her even more charming.
Amy left us with a legacy that is her intimate, soulful portrayal of her world that speaks to us through her music. A world filled with intense emotion, troubled addiction, and tortured love. Artists and fans alike are indebted to her for her great contribution to the musical fabric of our time and deeply regret her early and untimely passing. May she rest in peace.
