Amy Winehouse was born on this date in 1983. 10 things you might not know about her.
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Amy Jade Winehouse was born at Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, London. Her father was a taxi driver and her mother a pharmacist. The family were Jewish, something Amy was proud of, although she wasn’t religious.
Music was in her blood. She had several uncles who were Jazz musicians and her father’s mother once dated Ronnie Scott. Her father loved to sing as well, and even released an album of his own in 2010, called Rush of Love.
When Amy was about 10, she teamed up with her friend, Juliette Ashby to form a hip hop duo. Inspired by the rap group Salt-N-Pepa, they called themselves Sweet ‘n’ Sour. In a 2004 interview, Amy said, “I was sour, of course.“ They even managed to make a small number of studio recordings: Glam Chicks, Boys … Who Needs Them and Spinderella.
At 12, she was admitted to the Sylvia Young Theatre School. She attended there for two years before being expelled for "not applying herself" and piercing her own nose. At 16, she made her debut with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. At 19, she signed with manager Nick Godwyn of 19 Entertainment, a company founded by Simon Fuller, the man behind Pop Idol and the Spice Girls.
“They” really did try to make her go to Rehab. In 2005 her manager Nick Shymansky was among those urging her to get help for her excessive drinking. Amy claimed at the time that she wasn’t an alcoholic, she just had a broken heart. She did, however, eventually give in and go to rehab in 2008.
Amy Winehouse was the first British female artist to win five Grammys at one ceremony, in 2008, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Her record was beaten by Adele in 2012.
Artists who have credited Amy Winehouse as an influence include Adele, Duffy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Jessie J, Emeli Sandé, Paloma Faith, Lana Del Rey, Florence Welch and Billie Eilish. Patti Smith's This Is the Girl is a tribute to her, as is Green Day's Amy.
When she died, there were rumours circulating that she was in the process of adopting a 10-year-old girl from St Lucia, with whom she had formed a strong bond while staying on the island. It was even said that she would have moved to St Lucia permanently to achieve this. Winehouse's representative has denied it, however, saying the rumours were not true.
Her last recording was a duet, Body and Soul, with Tony Bennett. It was released on what would have been her 28th birthday.
Since her death, Amy’s family have set up a charity which works to prevent the effects of drug and alcohol misuse on young people, and to help disadvantaged youngsters reach their full potential. The Amy Winehouse Foundation was also launched on what would have been her 28th birthday.
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