The album began with a brief instrumental accompanied by Winehouse’s scat singing – if the listener was in any doubt, this album had its roots firmly in jazz. Released in October 2003, it was an assured album, containing the hits ‘Stronger Than Me’, ‘Take The Box’, and the track that marked the marriage of her personal London swagger, unusual subject matter, nursery rhyme and soul, ‘Fuck Me Pumps’. Overseen largely by experienced R&B/hip-hop producer Salaam Remi, Frank represented the joy and innocence of an artist releasing their debut, almost bursting with ideas.
With industry interest under her belt and a publishing deal with EMI, she began to work on her debut album influenced by a seeming history of African American music beyond her years, her talent seemed fresh, striking and different. Her boyfriend Tyler James passed a tape of her work to Simon Fuller’s 19 management, and soon she had signed a deal with Island Records after A&R man Darcus Beese heard her unidentified voice on a track and decided to find out who the vocal talent was. Her reputation for singing grew, and by 2000 she was one of the featured vocalists in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Displaying a gift for playing guitar and singing, she was one of the pupils at the BRIT School for Performing Arts in Croydon, a veritable breeding ground for talent. At nine years old Winehouse attended the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, before moving on to the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the age of 14.
Her mother’s family had several professional jazz musicians in it, and her father, Mitch, was obsessed with Sinatra and would sing to her frequently. Her distinctive vocal style demonstrated her love of jazz her subject matter was resolutely personal and English.Īmy Winehouse was born in Southgate, North London on 14 September 1983, to a taxi driver father and a pharmacist mother. Winehouse took this palette of styles and influences and developed it into something surprising, different and interesting. Winehouse broke through at a time when neo-soul, as typified by artists such as Jill Scott, Maxwell and Musiq Soulchild, was all the rage in the US, but was largely unfamiliar to UK ears.
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