Amy Winehouse

Much can be said about Amy Winehouse, one of the UK's flagship vocalists during the 2000s. The British press and tabloids seemed to focus on her rowdy behavior and heavy alcoholic consumption, but fans and critics alike embraced her rugged charm and brash sense of humor because of her distinctively soulful and jazzy vocals. Her platinum-selling, breakthrough album Frank elicited comparisons ranging from Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan to Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill. And interestingly enough, one can often hear aspects of each of those singers' vocal repertoire in Winehouse's voice despite her strong Cockney accent and vernacular. Born to a taxi driving father and pharmacist mother, Winehouse grew up in the Southgate area in north London. Her upbringing was surrounded by jazz. Many of the uncles on her mother's side were all professional jazz musicians, and even her paternal grandmother was romantically involved with British jazz legend Ronnie Scott. While at home, she listened to and absorbed her parents' selection of greats: Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra among others. However, in her teens, she was drawn to the rebellious spirit of TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and other American R&B and hip-hop acts of the time.

At the age of 16, after she had been expelled from stage school, she caught her first break when pop singer Tyler James, a schoolmate and close friend, passed on her demo tape to his A&R who was searching for a jazz vocalist. That opportunity led her to attain a recording contract with Island Records. At the end of 2003, when she was 20 years old, Island released her debut album, Frank. With contributions from hip-hop producer and keyboardist Salaam Remi, Winehouse's amalgam of jazz, pop, soul, and hip-hop received rave reviews. The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize as well as two Brit awards, but its lead single, "Stronger Than Me," won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song. Following her debut, the accolades and inquiring interviews appeared concurrently in the press with her tempestuous ongoings. In 2006, her management company finally suggested that she enter into rehab for alcohol abuse, but instead, she dumped the company and transcribed the ordeal into the UK Top Ten hit "Rehab." It was the lead single for her second critically acclaimed album Back to Black. This time around the music delved into the sounds of ‘50s-'60s rock & roll, R&B, and soul with productions divided between Salaam Remi and British DJ and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ronson. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide

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