10 little-known facts about Amy Winehouse

Amy Jade Winehouse

(eng. Amy Jade Winehouse; September 14, 1983, Southgate (English) Russian, London - July 23, 2011, Camden, London[4][5])[6] - British singer and songwriter, known for her contralto vocals [7] and her eccentric performances of a mixture of musical genres, including R&B, soul and jazz,[8] she was critically acclaimed as one of the leading British performers of the 2000s.[9]

Twice Ivor Novello Award winner, her first album Frank

(2003) was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
On February 14, 2007, the singer received a Brit Award as “Best British Female Artist”. Her second album Back to Black
(2006) brought her 6 Grammy nominations and a win in 5 of them (including
Record of the Year
), after which she was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the first and only British singer to win five Grammy awards[ 10]. In August 2011, the album “Back to Black” was recognized as the most successful album of the 21st century in the UK[11].

Winehouse made a significant contribution to the popularization of soul music, as well as British music. Her distinctive dressing style made her a muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld.

Winehouse, who suffered from alcohol and drug addiction, has long been at the center of public scandals and litigation.

She died on July 23, 2011 at her home in Camden from a heart attack caused by alcohol intoxication, at the age of 27 years[12][13].

Biography

Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in Southgate (Enfield, London) into a Jewish family. Her parents are descendants of Jews who emigrated from the Russian Empire[14], taxi driver Mitchell Winehouse (born 1950) and pharmacist Janice Winehouse (née Seaton, born 1955), married in 1976, seven years before the birth of their daughter. Amy's older brother, Alex Winehouse, was born in 1980.[15] The family has long been immersed in musical life, primarily jazz: it is known that the paternal grandmother had a close relationship with the legendary British jazzman Ronnie Scott in the 1940s, and the mother’s brothers were professional jazz musicians.[16] . Amy idolized her grandmother and tattooed her name (Cynthia) on her arm.[17][18] Amy recalled that her father constantly sang to her as a child (often Frank Sinatra songs); she also became a habit of it, so much so that teachers later found it difficult to get her to be quiet in class.[19] In 1993, Amy's parents separated, but continued to raise their children together.

At Ashmole School her classmates included Dan Gillespie Sells, front, and Rachel Stevens (S Club 7). At the age of ten, Amy and her friend Juliette Ashby formed the rap group Sweet 'n' Sour, and at the age of 12 she entered the Sylvia Young Theater School, from where she was expelled two years later for insufficient diligence and bad behavior. Along with other school students, Amy managed to star in an episode of The Fast Show

(1997).

At the age of 14, Amy wrote her first songs and tried drugs for the first time. A year later, she began working simultaneously for the World Entertainment News Network and a jazz group. Through the mediation of her then-boyfriend, soul singer Tyler James, she signed her first contract - with EMI, and after receiving a check, she invited The Dap-Kings

, accompanying the New York singer Sharon Knight, after which she began a tour with him.

Frank's debut album was released on October 20, 2003.

, recorded by producer Salaam Remi. Apart from two covers, all the compositions here were written by herself or in collaboration. The album, well received by critics (reviewers noted interesting lyrics; comparisons with Sera Vaughn, Macy Gray and even Billie Holiday appeared in the press) received two Brit nominations (British Female Solo Artist, British Urban Act), was included in the list of Mercury Prize finalists and became platinum. Meanwhile, Amy herself was not satisfied with the result, noting that she only “considers the album 80% her own” and hinting that the label included several compositions that she herself did not like. The same year, the singer performed at the Glastonbury festival (on the Jazzworld stage).

Second album Back to Black

, unlike the first, contained some jazz motifs: the singer was inspired by the music of female pop groups of the 1950s and 60s.
The album was recorded by the production duo Salaam Remi - Mark Ronson. The latter also helped with promotion, playing several key tracks on his New York radio show on East Village Radio
.

Back to Black

was released in Britain on October 30, 2006 and rose to first place[20]. On the Billboard chart, it rose to number seven, thereby setting a record (the highest place for a debut album by a British performer), which Joss Stone broke two weeks later.

By October 23, the album became five times platinum in its homeland, and a month later it was declared the best-selling album of 2007, as well as the first most popular among iTunes users. First single from the album Rehab

Ivor Novello
for Best Contemporary Song
in May 2007 On June 21, a week after Amy performed the song at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards
, the single peaked at number 9 in the US.

Performance in Berlin, 2007
Second single “ You Know I'm No Good”

" (with a bonus remix featuring rapper Ghostface Killah) peaked at number 18.
In the US, the album was released in March 2007: it was followed by the first single, " You Know I'm No Good
".
Meanwhile in Britain, the third single, " Back to Black
", rose to number 25 in April (it was re-released in a deluxe version with live bonuses in November). On May 18, 2007, Amy Winehouse married longtime boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami.

In August, the singer canceled concerts in Britain and the United States due to deteriorating health, and soon she and her husband went to a rehabilitation clinic, which she left after five days. Scandalous photographs began to appear in the press (from which it was clear that Amy was openly using hard drugs). In September, the episode received wide publicity when Amy and Blake were caught on the street during a fight: this (according to the singer) happened after her husband caught her using drugs with a “call girl.” Father Mitch Winehouse expressed concern about his daughter's condition, suggesting that a tragic outcome is now close. The husband's mother expressed the opinion that the couple was ready to commit suicide together. Winehouse's representative, however, blamed it all on the paparazzi, who, by pursuing the singer, make her life unbearable. In November 2007, Amy's relatives (on her husband's side) issued a statement in which they called on fans to boycott Winehouse's work until the couple gave up their "bad habits"[21].

I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London was released in November.

(Live at London's
Shepherds Bush Empire
plus 50-minute documentary).
On December 10, 2007, Love Is a Losing Game
, the final single from the second album, was released simultaneously in England and the United States.
Two weeks earlier, Frank's
: it peaked at number 61 on the Billboards and received positive reviews in the press.

At the same time, Amy Winehouse recorded vocals for “Valerie”: songs from Mark Ronson’s solo album Version

.
The single rose to number two in Britain in October 2007, and was later nominated for "Best British Single" at the Brit Awards. Winehouse also recorded a duet with Mutya Buena, a former member of the Sugababes: their single "B Boy Baby" (from Buena's solo album Real Girl
) was released as a single on December 17. At the end of December, Amy took second place on Richard Blackwell's 48th annual "Worst Dressed Women" list, behind only Victoria Beckham. In early January, she began a new rehabilitation course under a special program: at the Caribbean villa of Canadian singer Bryan Adams. An Island Records representative hinted that the company was ready to terminate Winehouse's contract, but label president Nick Gatfield essentially denied this report, saying that she should simply "give time to sort out her problems," adding: "America is at her feet."

These words received direct confirmation when it became known that the album Back to Black

brought Winehouse 6 Grammy nominations. Amy herself was nominated in the Best New Artist category, and producer Ronson was nominated in the Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) category.

On February 10, 2008, the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles: Amy Winehouse won in five categories (Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Pop Vocal Album, Female Pop Vocal Performance). Winehouse, who had been denied a visa,[22] gave her acceptance speech from a screen (broadcast via satellite from a small London club) and performed "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab"[23].

In April 2008, the singer, together with her producer Mark Ronson, decided to record the main theme song for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. But later, after recording the demo version, Ronson stated that work on the song had been stopped, as Winehouse had other plans.[24]

Pete Doherty (they are working on the song “You Hurt The Ones You Love”), Prince (with whom the singer exchanged compliments) and George Michael, who specially wrote a song for their future duet, announced their intentions to record with Amy. In addition, there were reports that the singer is collaborating with Missy Elliott and Timbaland, and is also planning a trip to Jamaica to record with Damian Marley, the son of Bob Marley.

On June 12, 2008, Amy Winehouse's only concert in Russia took place - she took part in the opening of the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in the Bakhmetyevsky Garage in Moscow.

In June 2008, Amy Winehouse was admitted to hospital, where she was diagnosed with emphysema[25].

On June 21, 2011, Amy Winehouse canceled her European tour after a scandal in Belgrade. About 20 thousand spectators attended the concert. The singer was on stage for 1 hour and 11 minutes, but did not sing, as she was heavily intoxicated. At the beginning of the concert, she greeted Athens, then the audience in New York, stumbled, talked to the musicians, tried to sing, but forgot the words. The singer had to leave under the whistling of the audience[26].

Amy's first posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, was released on December 5, 2011.[27] It includes unreleased compositions written between 2002 and 2011. For the first single from the album, the composition “Body and soul”, released on the singer’s 28th birthday, a joint video was shot with Tony Bennett during her lifetime (he performed the main male role). At the 54th Grammy ceremony, the song won in the “Best Duet” category. Moreover, a year later Winehouse was again nominated for this prestigious award with rapper Nas for the track “Cherry Wine.”[28].

Family and personal life

Amy Winehouse was born into a Jewish family: her father is the grandson of Benjamin Winehouse and Fanny Grandish (1895—?), who was engaged in rubberizing fabrics and was the daughter of Abraham Grandish, a fruit peddler who emigrated from the Russian Empire and settled in Spitalfields[en] .

, 1855—?)[29][30][31]. She was never religious, but being Jewish meant a lot to her[32]. Winehouse also often performed with a large Star of David medallion.[33]

On July 31, 2011, it became known that at the time of her death, Amy was preparing documents for the adoption of 10-year-old Dannika Augustina, whom she met in 2009[34].

Mitch Winehouse, the singer's father, wrote a memoir, Amy, My Daughter. The publisher was Harper Collins. All proceeds are directed to the Winehouse Foundation, which will provide assistance to children and adolescents who find themselves in difficult life situations. Mitch told readers about the singer’s youth, the development of her career, personal experiences and drug and alcohol addiction[35].

Death

On July 23, 2011 (at 15:54 local time) she was found dead (lying on her bed[36]) in her apartment in London[37]. Until the end of October 2011, the causes of death remained unclear[38][39][40]. Preliminary versions of the causes of death included drug overdose[41] (the police did not find drugs in Winehouse's house)[42] and suicide[43]. It is also known that she suffered from emphysema[25].

The farewell to the singer took place in the Golders Green synagogue, the oldest of the synagogues (1922) in the area of ​​the same name in north London. On July 26, 2011, Amy Winehouse was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, where the body of the family idol, jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott, was cremated in 1996, and her grandmother Cynthia Winehouse in 2006.

Edgwarebury Lane Jewish Cemetery

[en] in the London suburb of Edgeware[en] (Middlesex County)[45] next to his grandmother, who was also a jazz singer[46].

Blake Fielder-Civil, whom Amy divorced back in 2009, was not allowed to attend his ex-wife’s funeral[47].

In September 2011, Amy's father suggested that the cause of her death was a heart attack caused by alcohol intoxication,[48] which later turned out to be true. Three empty vodka bottles were found in the singer’s room, and the level of alcohol in her blood exceeded the maximum permissible concentration for driving a car by five times[49]. The results of a re-investigation into the causes of the singer’s death, which became known in January 2013, confirmed the version of her death from alcohol poisoning[50].

Second collection

Winehouse called her second studio work “Back to Black” and released it in 2006. This album topped the British charts, and managed to reach number 7 on the American weekly Billboard chart, which was an absolute record for a British artist. In just one year, “Back to Black” became five times platinum in the UK, and was then recognized as the best-selling music album of 2007.

Unfortunately, this was the performer's last lifetime album.

Memory

Flowers near the singer's house (photo taken on the evening of her death)
Fans and celebrities around the world quickly responded to Winehouse's sudden death on Twitter and other social networks[51].

The Universal Republic label said in a statement about the artist's death: "We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, entertainer and performer."[52][53]

Immediately after the news of his death, several famous musicians dedicated their performances to Amy. Already on July 23, during a concert in Minneapolis, the lead singer of the Irish band Bono, before performing his song “Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of,” said that he dedicated it to the suddenly deceased British soul singer Amy Winehouse.

Lily Allen, Jessie J and Boy George also dedicated their latest performances to the British singer[54]. The American punk rock band Green Day included the song “Amy” on their 2012 album ¡Dos! as a tribute to this singer.

Adele also called on her audience to honor Amy at her concert in London (at the Royal Albert Hall) and performed the song “Make You Feel My Love” in her honor.

Russian singer Zemfira wrote on her website: “Amy has died. rainy day. rip"[55].

The Russian alternative rock band “Slot” wrote the song “RIP”, which they dedicated to Amy[56].

The singer also entered the so-called Club 27, that is, she was included in the list of musicians who significantly influenced the formation and development of music and who died at the age of 27.

Wax figure of Winehouse at Madame Tussauds

On September 14, 2014, a bronze monument to Amy Winehouse was unveiled in Camden Town, London. The event was timed to coincide with the birthday of the singer, who would have turned 31 on that day. The life-size sculpture is an exact replica of the star's appearance, including her signature hairstyle.[57]

In 2020, director Asif Kapadia made the documentary Amy in memory of singer Amy Winehouse. The film won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Film category.[58]

Tony Bennett recalls: “I regret that I didn’t have time to tell her to fight her addiction. I would tell her to stop or she would die.” Amy Winehouse was a big fan of Tony Bennett. In 2008, it was he who presented her with a Grammy in the Album of the Year category for the release Back to Black

. After the award, she shared her impressions: “I was shocked. Not because I won a Grammy, but because Tony Bennett said my name.” The admiration was mutual. During the recording, Bennett told Amy that he could hear Dinah Washington in her voice. An admiring Winehouse admitted that this particular vocalist is her idol[59].

On July 23, 2008, at Madame Tussauds, in the music room, a wax figure of Amy was presented. Her parents, Mitchell and Janice Winehouse, were present at the presentation, but Amy herself could not attend the presentation [ source not specified 967 days

].

Amy Winehouse: life and death.

Amy Winehouse died on July 23 at her home in London. She was 27 years old (as were Jennis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain), of which the singer spent the last five years selflessly engaged in her own destruction. In this sense, Winehouse was an ideal pop object: her musical talent was combined with actions that were astonishing in their degree of madness. Simply put, the singer always gave reasons for scandals and rarely allowed anyone to get bored in her presence. Over the past two years, Amy has slowed down a bit. It seemed that she had reached the extreme stage of decay, stopped and was now slowly emerging into the light. After a year-long lull, the artist began giving concerts (among them a performance in Moscow), and began work on a new record, which, at the very least, turned from individual sketches into something quite real. There was talk about a full tour. It didn’t matter that the deadlines kept getting pushed back: the public and promoters understood who they were dealing with.

Another crisis occurred a month ago, when Winehouse, without any explanation, canceled her planned tour of Europe (Athens and Istanbul suffered). The singer made this decision after her performance in Belgrade. The show failed in every way, and that was natural. Amy started the concert an hour late, could not sing because she could barely move her tongue, and eventually left the stage, turning the arrows on her musicians, who were left to play without their leader.

The singer's representative said then that Winehouse apologizes to her fans, and disrupting the performance is the best thing that could be done “under the circumstances.” A month before, the artist once again went to the London Priory Clinic rehabilitation clinic. Amy's father insisted on this, and the reason for treatment was progressive alcoholism.

However, drunkenness is only one of Amy’s fatal shortcomings—or troubles—as it turned out in the end. There were also, of course, drugs, as well as serious psychological problems. British media wrote that Winehouse suffers from manic-depressive psychosis, but does not want to be treated. Plus difficulties with appetite - either bulimia or anorexia. Plus, as the singer herself said, she felt “more a man than a woman, but not a lesbian” (although this can hardly be considered a problem in the modern world) and had a tough character, quarreling with managers and the record label.

Fortunately, the music was not lost behind all these difficulties, otherwise no one would just buy her CDs and give her a Grammy - and Amy has five of them. A fantastic voice and talent for composing beautiful songs quickly made Winehouse a star, first on a British scale, and then on a global scale, creating a fashion (not for the first and not the last time, apparently) for neo-soul. Amy is largely responsible for the success of Duffy and Adele, both "White Woman Singing Black" artists.

“I would agree to live in a dirty hole if they promised me that I would meet Ray Charles,” Amy said in 2003 after the release of her first album, Frank. And she added that by the age of thirty she would certainly give up everything, give birth to seven children and serve her family. The latter was hard to believe, judging by the way the young star was playing around.

Notes

1. Reagan G.
   Amy Winehouse: The Next Tragic Talent?
   (undefined)
   . New York Observer (December 14, 2007). Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.
2. Perpetua M.
   Critics Assess Amy Winehouse's Legacy
   (unspecified)
   . Rolling Stone (July 27, 2011).
3. Amy Winehouse - Overview. Allmusic. Retrieved July 23, 2011. Archived March 3, 2012.
4. Game to lose. Singer Amy Winehouse found dead in London (Russian). Lenta.ru
   (07/24/2011).
5. Singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment (Russian). Russian newspaper
   (07/23/2013).
6. Biography of Amy Winehouse (Russian). RIA Novosti
   (09/14/2013).
7. The Search Engine that Does at InfoWeb.net (unspecified)
   (inaccessible link). Retrieved July 24, 2011. Archived April 22, 2009.
8. Frank - Amy Winehouse | AllMusic
9. Cyril Cordor.
   Amy Winehouse biography
   (unspecified)
   . www.allmusic.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
10. Guinness World Records - News - Guinness World Records Launches 2009 Edition
11. Amy Winehouse broke James Blunt's record (Russian) (Retrieved August 29, 2011)
12. BBC News - Obituary: Amy Winehouse
13. The medical examiner explained Amy Winehouse's death as alcohol poisoning (unspecified)
    . Lenta.ru (26.10.2011). Retrieved October 26, 2011.
14. Amy Winehouse's ancestors were Russian Jews (undefined)
    . jewish.ru (January 15, 2009). Retrieved July 27, 2011. Archived March 3, 2012.
15. Eliscu, Jenny.
    The Diva and Her Demons
    (unspecified)
    (unavailable link). www.rollingstone.com (14 June 2007). Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived June 3, 2007.
16. Mulholland, Harry.
    Charmed and Dangerous
    (undefined)
    . www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
17. Amy Winehouse has emphysema and could be in a wheelchair
18. Amy Winehouse diagnosed with emphysema
19. Sanderson, Elizabeth.
    Amy Winehouse's mother explains why she feels powerless to stop her troubled daughter's descent into hell of addiction
    (undefined)
    . www.dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
20. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (English). ChartStats. Retrieved July 24, 2011. Archived March 3, 2012.
21. Call for a boycott (undefined)
    . www.tmz.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
22. Amy Winehouse was denied a visa (unspecified)
    . travel.latimes.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
23. Amy's 5 Grammys: NME News (unspecified)
    . www.nme.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
24. Amy Winehouse has stopped working on the song for Bond
    . www.gigwise.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
25. ↑ 1 2
    www.gazeta.ru
    (unspecified)
    . Amy Winehouse has been diagnosed with emphysema. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
26. Amy Winehouse canceled her European tour after the scandal in Belgrade (unspecified)
    . Radio station "Echo of Moscow". Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
27. Lenta.ru: Music: Amy Winehouse's new album will be released in December 2011
28. Amy Winehouse's posthumous album "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" will be released in December :: Map of music - MapMusic.ru - Music news - Show business news - Music news
29. 1911 Census
30. The 1911 Census
31. Amy Winehouse (undefined)
    . www.mignews.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010. Archived March 3, 2012.
32. Amy Winehouse: in her own words (undefined)
    (22 July 2012). Retrieved July 5, 2020.
33. Pfeffer, Anshel
    . Remembering Amy Winehouse as the Jew She Was Not (9 July 2013). Retrieved July 5, 2020.
34. Amy Winehouse 'was adopting girl from St Lucia'
35. Amy Winehouse's father will write a book about his daughter (unspecified)
    . Lenta.ru (11.10.2011). Retrieved October 13, 2011.
36. Police found no drugs in Amy Winehouse's apartment
    .
    vedomosti.ru
    . Retrieved October 29, 2020.
37. Amy Winehouse, 27, found dead at her London flat after suspected 'drug overdose'
38. David Sillito
    . Amy Winehouse found dead, aged 27, BBC (23 July 2011). Retrieved July 23, 2011.
39. David Batty and agencies
    . Amy Winehouse dies aged 27 (23 July 2011).
40. Amy Winehouse Found Dead, TMZ
    (23 July 2011). Retrieved July 23, 2011.
41. British singer Amy Winehouse dies
42. Police did not find drugs in Amy Winehouse's house - News - Interfax (unspecified)
    . // interfax.ru (07/25/2011). Retrieved July 25, 2011.
43. Amy Winehouse Death a Suicide? — International Business Times (undefined)
    . // ibtimes.com. Retrieved July 25, 2011. Archived March 3, 2012.
44. Family say farewell to “angel” Winehouse
45. Amy Winehouse buried in London // BBC
46. Amy Winehouse was buried in London, next to her grandmother’s grave // ​​vesti.ru
47. Amy Winehouse's ex-husband is close to suicide // ua.all.biz
48. 'Amy Winehouse died of seizure caused by alcohol detox', says dad Mitch. nme.com
    (09/10/2011). Retrieved September 11, 2011. Archived March 3, 2012.
49. Experts have named the causes of Amy Winehouse's death | "RIA Novosti", 10/26/2011
50. A re-investigation has confirmed the cause of death of Amy Winehouse (unspecified)
    . Lenta.ru (01/08/2013). Retrieved January 8, 2013.
51. Musicians Respond to Amy Winehouse's Death | Rolling Stone Music
52. Amy Winehouse found dead – mirror.co.uk
53. Amy Winehouse Found Dead | Amy Winehouse | News | MTV UK
54. U2 dedicated a song to Amy Winehouse (Retrieved July 26, 2011)
55. Zemfira's website zemfira.ru
56. Lenta.ru: Sound: RIP
57. Amy Winehouse monument unveiled in London | Amy Winehouse statue unveiled in London
58. The film about singer Amy Winehouse won an Oscar for best documentary (unspecified)
    . TASS (February 29, 2016). Retrieved March 7, 2020.
59. Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett - recording Body and Soul (unspecified)
    .
60. Amy Winehouse wins Ivor Novello Award