Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983, in Southgate, London to Janis Winehouse, a pharmacist, and Mitch Winehouse, a cab driver. From a very young age, Winehouse was surrounded by jazz music, with the maternal side of the family being heavily involved with jazz music, which made her follow many jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.
At age ten, Winehouse started to listen to R&B and hip-hop-influenced music like TLC and Salt and Pepper. For a short time, she also had a rap group called Sweet “n” Sour. In 2003 (2004 in the US), Amy released her first album that was titled Frank. This album was inspired by Frank Sinatra. Winehouse later expressed her distaste for the album, stating, “I’ve never heard the album from start to finish. I don’t have it in my house.” However, in 2004, the album’s single “Stronger Than Me” won an Ivor Novello Award for the best contemporary song. She also was nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act.
Winehouse’s reputation was otherwise sullen, with her being partially known for her rocky relationship with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil and her troubling history with law enforcement, including substance abuse charges, domestic assault, and assault. Fielder-Civil and Winehouse used controlled substances prior to meeting each other but, when the two met, things seemed to get worse on both ends and their issues seemed to intensify. For example, Winehouse struggled with bulimia and, unfortunately, during this time, she seemed to have dramatic weight loss along with a troubling home life and substance abuse issues. These conditions were not at all ideal for a relationship to blossom. But Fielder-Civil and Winehouse were married for two years. In August of 2007, Winehouse overdosed. Two months later, in Norway, an anonymous tip to the police was filed which led the police to arrest Fielder-Civil, Winehouse, and a third person who remains anonymous. A month later, in November of 2007, Winehouse was performing where the crowd got the sense that she was intoxicated. Soon after this incident, Winehouse canceled any and all public appearances under the guise of doctor’s orders.
On June 18, 2011, Winehouse performed as an opening act for Moby in Belgrade, Serbia. Winehouse was booed off stage as there was something noticeably wrong with her as she swayed back and forth and slurred almost every word. This would be Winehouses’s last performance, because just over a month later, on July 23, 2011, Winehouse was found deceased in her hotel room at only 27 years old.
