Amy Winehouse Profiled

Amy Winehouse Profiled: By Alan Finn.

Amy’s Hometown was London UK.

Status: Signed

Star Sign: Virgo

Born in London, (UK) on the,”14th September 1983, Amy Winehouse, was one of those singer, songwriters, to emerge, as possibly one of the best ever jazz vocalists, of her time. Known for her, very deep vocals, she wasted no time in crossing over from, “Jazz ,to Pop, R&B, to Soul, no matter what style she opted for she could deliver and her fans loved her for it.

She did not enter the music world till she was (16) Sixteen years of age, when a school friend passed around a demo that Amy, had recorded.

Amy won five Grammy Awards, for her 2006 Album, Back To Black, her second studio album.

Amy Winehouse, left us way to early. She was only (27) Twenty Seven, when she departed this life.

This is the story of Amy Winehouse,, profiled on (PB ) Prime Bling.

Early Career

Amy Jade Winehouse, was born on September 14, 1983, in an area known as, Southgate in London, UK. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, worked the streets of London, as a cab driver, Amy’s mother Janis, worked in a chemist. Amy’s, up bringing was surrounded by jazz; many of her on her mother’s side were professional jazz musicians, and her father when he was a boy sang as a child with his own family.

At the age of 10, she became drawn to the spirit of “American girl group “TLC, and Rap & Hip Hop American Group, Salt-N-Pepa among other, American R&B, and hip-hop acts. Amy, founded a short-lived amateur rap group called, Sweet ‘n Sour.

At the age of 12, Amy, was accepted into the very fine and prestigious, Sylvia Young Theater School, in London, UK. But by the age of 16, Amy, was expelled for not committing herself fully to the school and also for piercing her nose.

The very same year 1989, she got her first shot of stardom when a schoolmate, “Tyler James, who is also a singer song writer, passed her demo tape to his record label, A&R, who just happened to be on the look out for a Jazz singer. This opportunity paid off and this led, Amy, to get a deal with another record label with Island/Universal.

Debut Album: ‘Frank’

Amy released her debut album, titled, “Frank in (2003), it was a critically acclaimed mixture of jazz, pop, soul and hip-hop. This led to a nomination for the, Mercury Music Prize, plus two Brit awards, for the best female solo act, and the best Urban act.

Her debut single , Stronger Than Me, earned Amy, the, Ivor Novello award. Her Album, Frank, also hit the double figure sales in the platinum status.

International Star

By 2006, her management company finally suggested that, Amy enter rehab for alcohol abuse. This led Amy, to dump her record label and then she used the saying to her advantage, and wrote, Rehab, which was eventually used for her second, (2nd) album, “Back To Black, and released as a single of that album in 2006. This song “Rehab,” which discussed her refusal to receive treatment for substance abuse, became a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, (UK ) and earned the artist another, (Ivor Novello, award for best contemporary song. The album was also a critical success, winning the artist a BRIT award for Best Female Solo Artist and a BRIT nomination for Best British Album in 2007.

Less than a month after her BRIT win, Back to Black, made its American debut. It was an instant smash hit hitting higher on the Billboard music charts than any other American debut by a British female recording artist in history. The album stayed in the Top 10 for several months, selling one million copies by the end of that summer, with “Rehab” becoming a top 10 U.S. hit as well.

Marriage

In April of 2007, Winehouse’s relationship with then boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil also blossomed into an engagement. Winehouse revealed that her romance with the then 23-year-old was the inspiration for several of the Back to Black tracks. The couple eloped and married on May 18, 2007, in a ceremony in Miami, Florida.

Rehab & Alleged Drug Abuse

In January of, 2008, a video allegedly showing, Amy, smoking what was believed to be crack cocaine surfaced, leading Amy, to do a brief stint in rehab. Amy was arrested in May 2008, for questioning, but was not formally charged in the case after police said they could not officially determine what the singer was smoking actually crack cocaine or any other substance, relating to the crack drug. After publicly admitting to illegal substance abuse, Amy, was denied a U.S.visa due to her “use and abuse of narcotics.” This visa prevented her from performing live at the, 2008 Grammy Awards, “Instead, she performed in her hometown city of London, and it was shown via satellite.

During the evening’s ceremony, Amy, won five Grammy Awards, including prizes for Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year—becoming the first (UK ) singer to win five ( 5 ) Grammy Awards, as well as tying with American singer, Beyoncé Knowles, aka as a member of, Destiny’s Child, for the record of the most, Grammy wins, by a female artist in a single night.

Despite her musical success, Amy’s health and personal life suffered. Her behavior hit an all time low in June 2008, while she was preforming at the “ Glastonbury Music Festival in the (UK ) she appeared to have punched a fan, English, man James Gostelow, the then (25) Twenty Five Year Old, told BBC News, an English Media News TV station, that Amy, elbowed him in the forehead, after someone else in the crowd behind him threw a hat at her. The Video that had captured this was shown vigorously around the world and Amy, could be seen throwing a series of punches into the crowd. “James said, he had no intention of making a complaint to police, and Amy had escaped any criminal proceedings. After the concert, Amy, returned to a London clinic, where she had been receiving treatment for traces of “emphysema, and also had an, irregular heartbeat caused by smoking, crack cocaine and cigarettes. Amy’s father told reporters that his daughter, was warned that she would have to wear an, oxygen mask if she didn’t stop abusing drugs. It was also around this time her husband, Blake was sentenced to prison for assault he was part of a group who was found guiltily. By the end of 2008, the singer’s marriage had dissolved. Amy, had begun an extended stay on the, Caribbean island of St. Lucia, during this time she had allegedly met a new love interest. In January 2009, A spokesperson for Amy, confirmed that divorce proceedings had begun between husband and wife, with “Blake Fielder-Civil, filing for divorce and citing adultery as the reason for the split.

Attempted Comeback

Regardless of personal setbacks, 2009, proved to be another strong year for Amy Winehouse. In 2008, her album Back to Black, was declared the second (2nd) highest selling album in the world, and in 2009, she earned entry into the”Guinness Book of World Records, for “Most Grammy Awards Won by a British Female Act.”

Also in 2009, Amy had announced she was setting up her own record label titled, Lioness Records, and her very first artists she had signed was that of (13 ) thirteen year old god child, Dionne Bromfield.

Death

The singer died tragically on July 23, 2011, at her London Home, in Camden Town, at the age of (27) Twenty Seven, from accidental alcohol poisoning.

Amy’s life and career, were the focus of the critically acclaimed documentary titled (Amy ) which hit cinemas in July 2015, and was directed by, Asif Kapadia.

While the work has been widely celebrated, and welcomed which also received an, “Academy Award, in 2016, for best documentary, it was reported to have caused upset with Amy’s Winehouse’s family. Amy’s father Mitchell, aka Mitch, was portrayed as a less than flattering light in the film. “The family did however release a statement through a spokesperson after the film “Amy, was shown at the 2015, Cannes film festival, stating that the film “was a missed opportunity to have had her life celebrated and to have her talent shown rather than been sidelined, that it is both, misleading and contains some basic untruths.”

Album Releases

Frank, was released in 2003.

Back To Black, was released in 2006.

Amy, the film was released in 2015.

Singles Include, Taken of her debut album, Frank:

Stronger Than Me, Take The Box, In My Bed You Sent Me Flying, Pumps Help Yourself.

Songs taken of her, Back To Black album, include Rehab, You Know I am No Good, Back To Black, Tears Dry On Their Own, Love Is A Loosing Game

Singles of her album, Lioness Hidden Treasure, Our Day Will Come, and, Body & Soul, with Tony Bennett.

Guest Appearance

Valerie, with Mark Ronson, of the album, Version, year 2007,

B Boy Baby, with Mutya_Buena, of the album, Real Girl, year 2007. Mutya was a former member of the of the, UK pop group ,Sugababes,

Cherry_Wine, with rapper Nas, of the album, Life Is Good. Year 2012.

Body & Soul, with Tony Bennett.

Here is a link to Amy Official FB Page ( https://www.facebook.com/amywinehouse/?fref=ts# )

Here are some video’s from the late Amy Winehouse. First up we have a cover of the song, Valerie, with Mark Ronson.

2nd video is a cover, will you still love me tomorrow

3rd one is Rehab, taken of her Back To Black Album

Credit Image Sourced from Google Images.

Video’s Sourced From You Tube