Biography of Amy Winehouse

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When the first and last name’s Amy Winehouse are uttered, a common thought crosses all listeners. It’s something along the lines of remembering her for overdosing on narcotics or possibly alcohol. The thought following varies somewhere between seeing her as a waste of talent, sorrow over her death or judgment of her character due to her addictions. It’s a sad truth, however, that her drug and alcohol abuse defined her then and now. To many of her fans, family, partners, and producers, she was seen as much larger than that. A woman who was known for her contralto vocals and vivid mix of rhythm, blues, soul, and jazz.. A singer who was passionate about her career even with her lingering addictions throughout her later years.

Amy Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 into one of the biggest “music making” capitals of the world, London. (“Amy Winehouse”) Winehouse lived with her older brother, cab driver father and pharmacist mother in their London Southgate home. (“Obituary: Amy Winehouse”) Her godly musical talent came from the side of her mother who included professional jazz musicians and singers. (“Amy Winehouse Biography”)This and the music taste of her parents influenced both her interest in singing and the syncopation, blue note sounds of jazz. Her early passion for Frank Sinatra’s vocals developed from her father singing his songs to her but her parents split by the time she turned nine. Her grandmother however encouraged her to hone in on her vocal talents and attend Susi Earnshaw Theatre School where she further developed her vocal and tap dancing skills. (“Obituary: Amy Winehouse”) Winehouse grew passionate about her verbal instrument and began full-time training at Sylvia Young Theatre but was soon expelled fo...

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...as supported so many more organizations the best that she could. She was seen by many as a party girl who was self-centered but she reality of it all was she was selfless.

Amy Winehouse was in a subgroup of her own. Impeccably talented yet incredibly self-destructive. She was known to be classy yet wild and erratic always doing her own thing which was always different and unique. Her voice was pure, raw talent and she knew it. From her iconic beehive hair-do to her bold, black cat eyeliner, she was in a class of her own taking the music industry by storm. A sad truth was her addictions overshadowing who she truly was, a gem. Like many young artists, her abuse of narcotics and alcohol created a shadow over who she was as a person. Many debaters have brought up a profound question before her death; “Would a ‘clean’ Amy Winehouse still be Amy Winehouse?”

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