I’m Amy. I write lyrics. I write songs. And I sing. Reclaiming Amy, BBC 2021, interview
My daughter Amy died when she was just 27 years old. ibid. mum
But there was so much more. She resonated at a different frequency to everyone else. ibid.
After she died her dad and I were accused of failing Amy. ibid.
The incredible woman that she was. ibid.
She was 19 when she wrote her first album Frank. ibid.
She was bulimic. She had that struggle the whole time. ibid. friend
My name is Dionne Bromfield, and Amy Winehouse was my godmother. We had a special bond and our relationship was unique. Amy’s support inspired me to follow my dream of becoming a singer. And she signed me to her label Lioness when I was just 13 years old. Amy Winehouse & Me: Dionne’s Story, MTV 2021
Amy was born in North London in 1983, her Dad Mitch a taxi driver and mum Janice a pharmacist. Amy Winehouse: A Life in Ten Pictures, BBC 2021
When this photo was taken, 14-year-old Amy had left mainstream education and was now attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School. ibid.
Now a global superstar, Amy spent most of 2007 touring and performing to sell-out audiences across the world. ibid.
‘Five Grammys, wow. What a night.’ ibid. dad
After Amy’s death her family and friends set up the Amy Whitehouse Foundation. Much of its focus is helping young women overcome addiction. ibid.
In the weeks after Amy’s death Back to Black became the UK’s best-selling album of the 21st century. ibid.
Soul is heart, is guts, I guess … It’s something that controls you … To sing soul, I think you have to have grit. Amy Winehouse in Her Own Words, caption, BBC 2021
The music that speak to me the most has always been jazz … and that emotional connection to it to you know that so many great singers had. ibid.
In the early hours of February 6th 1978, the body of a young journalist was discovered on a street in Washington DC. Her name was Linda Lipnack Kuehl. For the past decade, she’d devoted her life to uncovering the true story of legendary singer Billie Holiday. Billie: In Search of Billie Holiday, BBC 2021
She was the queen bee. Without even trying, she was the most sensuous of all the lady singers. ibid. Sylvia Syms, friend & singer
It was her voice allowed her to escape. ibid.
‘It was Billie’s interpretation of Strange Fruit not the song itself that changed the direction of American music. But not everyone stood to applaud her primal howl against the bloody history of white America.’ ibid. critic
‘She consumed more stimulants … she was an extremist.’ ibid. observer
In just seven short years we witnessed Amy Whitehouse’s transformation from beautiful singer to haunted drug addict. Demonised by the press. Dramatic weight loss, destructive relationships and aggressive behaviour, all playing their part in Amy’s all too brief life. The Death of Amy Whitehouse: 10 Years On, Channel 5 2021
This is the story of a towering but troubled talent. ibid.
‘Amy Whitehouse was the most incredible British raw talent I think ever really seen.’ ibid. Neev Spencer, radio JD
Back to Black: It was impossible to imagine the scale of the album’s success and colossal impact it would have on Amy’s life. ibid.
In September 2021 the Rolling Stones did something they hadn’t done since 1963 – perform without their drummer Charlie Watts. Charlie Watts: My Life as a Rolling Stone IV
Charlie Watts was the driving force behind everything the Stones did – their heartbeat. ibid.
The best drummer England has ever produced. ibid. Keith Richards
Jazz is Charlie’s first and enduring love. ibid.
He remains the accidental rock star. ibid.
Dance music — as I keep saying, you can dance to a windshield wiper … a windshield wiper that’s fairly steady gives you a beat and all you need is an out-of-tune playing ‘Melancholy Baby’ and you’ve got dance music. Artie Shaw, jazz musician
‘She’s shrewd. She’s a business-woman. She’s a survivor.’ A Life in Ten Pictures s2e5: Ella Fitzgerald, BBC 2024
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in 1917 and grew up in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died when she was 15 years old. At age 17 Ella made her stage debut. ibid.
She focused on live music performances across America. ibid.