[Amy's History]

1983 - 1990
Amy was a seven-pounder born four days late. Her mother, Janis, was a pharmacist, and her father, Mitch, was a taxi driver. Since the day she was born, Amy was always getting herself into trouble, hence was dubbed "Hurricane Amy". She was notorious for frequently injuring herself due to her rowdiness, running away from home, and desiring to be the center of attention no matter the mood she was in. Her brother Alex, three years her senior, had desired a brother. He would fight her for the limelight often. Despite the result, he still loved and protected his little sister.

Disappearing from her parents, sustaining severe injuries (such as breaking both of her hands from falling), and showcasing an uptight attitude were what resulted from her father’s absence. He was never there for the important things, allowing Alex and Amy to be wild to their heart’s content.

Amy's interest in music began at a very young age when she listened to jazz, blues, and rock records with her parents, namely Tony Bennett, Carole King, and James Taylor. She knew by then that singing was her calling. Self-taught, she would shake the world with her beautiful, smoky vocals.

Her first few years of school Amy felt like the odd one out, at one point bullied and judged the other kids so they would notice her. Over time, her number of friends outnumbered her enemies. Very intelligent, Amy was bumped up a year but quickly grew bored and lost interest in academics. When she was in her mid-teens, her interest in the guitar began when she would sneak into her brother’s room and play his when he wasn’t home.


1990 - 2001
The turbulence in her family started rather early when Mitch had an adulterous affair with a secretary at his job when Amy was about a year old. Her parents divorced when she was ten, delivering a heavy blow to her premature psyche. She attempted to take her own life by consuming an abundance of sleeping pills. Amy has told nobody about this except Tyler. Exploring other options to numb her pain, she started drinking and smoking marijuana to cope.

Suspended several times from school due to disruptive behavior, Amy was still the popular girl with a handful of friends; notably Juliette and Lauren. Last but not least: Tyler James, whom she was acquainted with in her jazz class at age thirteen during her first year at Sylvia Young Theatre School. Tyler thought he was listening to a 40-year-old jazz singer who chain-smoked (which happened to be true, she had already been doing so for a year). Amy fell in love with the touch of Stevie Wonder in Tyler’s voice, rebounding with “Your voice is absolutely mental.” He would become her roommate for several years after graduation.

Her teachers knew she was brilliant, but because of her lack of effort in academics, teacher comments were often “could be better”, or “waste of potential”, “a sharp, but disruptive girl”. It happened to be that school didn’t interest her as much as poetry and music. She would always be singing and grabbing the concentration of others, the big elephant in the room that wouldn’t keep quiet, whether she was running her mouth or letting her bold pipes go.

For a short time in her preteen years, she gained interest in hip-hop groups such as Salt-N-Pepa and TLC, forming a brief band with her friend dubbed Sweet N’ Sour. Amy, of course, was "Sour".

Silently, she began to suffer from bulimia in her early pubescent years, and anorexia would follow her into adulthood. This left her parents shocked, they knew how much Amy loved to eat. Her parents did not think much of it, her mother thought it would pass so no action was taken. Like many young women, Amy had a troubled body image.

In desperate need of an escape from her troubles, watching her brother play his electric guitar inspired her greatly. When he wasn’t home, Amy would snatch his Stratocaster and practice on it for hours. The accelerated learner she was, Amy picked up on it in a few months studying guitar tabs and sheet music. It was then she discovered another means of self-therapy. Play guitar for an hour and feel ten times better. In time, she saved enough money and bought herself an acoustic.

The only person she felt she could be herself around was her paternal grandmother, Cynthia. Amy needed someone to tell her “no” and tell her things as they were. Janis unfortunately did not fit that role appropriately in her daughter’s life. Amy’s unruly behavior at times became too much for her mother to bear, so she just tolerated it.

Sadly, Mitchell’s absence led to the dawn of Amy’s promiscuous lifestyle at the age of fourteen. Due to her father’s infidelity, Amy’s view of the opposite sex became very slanted. By the time she was sixteen, she had several flings but no serious relationship up until she met a black boy named Crispin Waller, a fellow classmate in her later years of secondary school. He was the first she fell in love with and would be far from the last.

Another factor to the early dawn of Amy’s sex life was a dark secret she kept to herself; at the age of sixteen, she was brutally raped by a date while under heavy influence of alcohol. She may not remember well because she was very intoxicated, but the mental toll it took on her left a deep scar. Her increasing body count was from a hope that she would forget the trauma. But she would learn the hard way that it wasn't a good solution.

2001 - 2007
After playing guitar and singing in a few bands in her mid-teens, Amy settled on fronting her own and formed “The Amy Winehouse Band” with old friends and former bandmates she recruited a seven-piece group to make up the act. Troy Miller, a friend from a previous band Amy played for, volunteered to fill the role of percussion. Following a year of small shows around London, Amy was promoted by Simon Fuller through Tyler and signed a record deal when reached eighteen. Together with manager Nick Shymanky, the search began for a record producer. An admirer of his work, Amy settled on hip-hop producer Salaam Remi, who instantly agreed to work with her upon hearing her demo tape.

No music was churned within a year, Amy spent her quarter of a million pounds (UK currency) on new clothes, and her first property in Camden in the apartment complex known as Jeffrey’s Place. The geek she was, thousands were spent on WWF and comic book memorabilia and also her hobby of collecting posters of pinup girls that decorated the walls of her flat, a fascination she picked up from Cynthia. The record label had threatened to drop her a year after the contract was signed, so Amy had to come up with a record quickly. For years she had a strong dislike for contemporary pop, and this motivated her to write music of her own.

Since the age of seventeen Amy was dating a man seven years her senior, Chris Taylor. It was unlike what she had with Crispin, falling heels over in love with him. But that passion faded in a couple of years when she realized he wasn’t for her. Chris lacked the masculine qualities that attracted Amy. Her relationship with him would inspire songs such as “Stronger Than Me”, “Take The Box”, and “In My Bed”. For years, she would not have another serious relationship. Amy developed an attraction to the handsome manager at her job as a cashier at a coffee shop, but the thirty year old did not feel comfortable with a seventeen year old girl ogling him. He rejected her, this led to the composition of “Amy Amy Amy”, and “You Sent Me Flying”.

Progress began on her debut album, Frank, titled after her biggest jazz hero, Frank Sinatra. Recorded in New York City with Salaam, the record pretty much made itself. In a matter of a few weeks, the lyrics were all set. Frank was released to the UK in a mere few months in 2003, raising Amy to widespread fame in the United Kingdom. She raked in BRIT, Ivor Novello, and Mercury Awards for Frank. Overwhelmed by her success, Amy believed she didn’t do much to deserve them so she gave them to her mother. How could she possibly have been ready for stardom at a young age? She dreamed of this possibility as a child but nobody could truly be prepared for it. Was this what she really wanted? Her life was changing so fast, and the stage of adulthood barely started. At first, she made friends with the photographers who hung outside of her loft. In time, she grew frightened of them, dubbing them "vultures".

A year following Frank, Amy’s lifestyle began to change. She wasn’t that lively immaculate girl for much longer and hung around different crowds; enjoying the fruits of her labor through partying and other activities. She became distant from friends, leaving herself alone with Tyler, who was her roommate since day one. The local pubs became Amy’s frequent habitat. Her alcohol consumption continued to climb; she was exhausted creatively and it distressed her. She needed inspiration, and heartbreak was what motivated her to write Frank. Island Records was steps away from throwing her to the curb if she did not begin work on another album soon.

Two years since her first album was released; Amy had no concrete material for a new record. Her daytime drinking led to her meeting a man who would change her life forever. She fell hard for Blake Fielder-Civil, meeting him at her favorite pub in Camden, Good Mixer. He started as a fling, but became much more than that, despite Blake already dating another girl since he met Amy. Civil was a heroin addict, a red flag that her social circle continued to point out, but Amy was not the type to judge for such things. Several years later, her decision would leave a scar on her heart.

After a year together, Blake dumped Amy for his girlfriend on the side. Not that it mattered, she was sleeping with someone else as well, an A&R scout named George. It was around this time Amy dressed more immaculately, got more tattoos, kept her hair dyed jet black like Cynthia’s, and the cat-eye and winged eyeliner that was to become her iconic look. The breakup with Blake led to Amy increasing her daily alcohol consumption to clear him from her mind. Nick Shymansky demanded she go to rehab, but instead, Amy asked for her father’s opinion and made the decision to not go. This very event in her life would lead to the composition of the song that would launch her career further. Feeling that Nick was too invasive to her problems due to their sentimental relationship and romantic history, Amy fired him and requested that Raye Cosbert, her promoter, also fulfill the manager role.

Her next album, Back to Black, was centered around her savagely broken heart and dwindling mental state; the yang to its predecessor. The release of ‘Rehab’ as a single catapulted her to superstardom. The record would launch her into worldwide fame, and there was no escaping it. Seemingly overnight, Amy Winehouse became a household name. Being in denial that she would ever be famous could no longer continue.

Amy’s trademark beehive debuted when she and her hairdresser tossed around ideas for her look in the music video to the album’s title track. The retro look quickly grew on Amy; it reminded her of the style of Ronnie Specter and became a comfort blanket. Many different styles of her trademark beehive would come and go.

Upon the filming of the music video for “You Know That I’m No Good”, Blake appeared on the set to return to Amy’s life now that success had become her middle name. She had gotten exactly what she wanted and accepted her hustling ex-boyfriend back into her fold. Now more than ever, she was glued to his lap, and could not go anywhere without his presence. The hopeless romantic in her fell slave to him.

Back to Black became the number-one album in nineteen countries. She had become the first British artist, notably a female solo artist, to go platinum in record sales for years; becoming the pride of the United Kingdom. Amy failed to see how much she had underestimated herself. All she wanted to do was sing. And she got far more than she bargained for in such a short time.

Unfortunately, her and Blake’s self-destructive behaviors fueled one another, and their marriage in Miami in 2007 did not improve their relationship. In fact, it made things much worse now that money was no longer a concern for Blake’s addictions. It was then he introduced Amy to heroin and crack cocaine. Self-harm was not a new habit for Amy, but around this time it got much worse. She started slashing her forearms whenever she was in emotional turmoil, which was often. Amy, often wanting some kind of dominance in any relationship, was overpowered by her husband and knelt before him and volunteered to satisfy his every need. A wall was beginning to close around her fast, and it was becoming overwhelmingly tight and dark. Her best friend, Tyler, he too was cut from her life for three whole months straight. It was the longest she had ever been apart from him. None of Amy’s friends would not hear a word from her for years.

Rehab was attempted for the couple, but they refused to go separate. After a week in rehab, which was without a doubt nothing, the couple resumed their drug-fueled escapades, screaming matches, and violent encounters with one another. Unable to allow any self-preservation to kick in, Amy allowed Blake to beat her. One argument came to a close with the busting of her lower lip after taking a drugged up suckerpunch from her husband. It required three stitches. To this day, there remains a scar that she frequently masks with makeup.

Blake getting arrested a few months after their marriage wasn’t a good sign. While a good man, he allowed his demons and damaged mental state to get the best of him. His parents offered little support throughout his life, leading Blake down the path of a street survivor. Nearly beating a pub owner to death with a friend, it was then the police busted down the door of Amy’s flat to arrest Blake for attempted murder. Oblivious due to her substance abuse clouding her judgment, Amy pleaded for his innocence, becoming an emotional cripple when her husband was taken away by local law enforcement. The courtroom drama was like a soap opera to the press, who had gotten a thrill writing stories on Amy’s crying fits and pleas of innocence for Blake. This was just the beginning of something much, much worse.

Nominated in six categories for the 2007 Grammy Awards, Amy had lost her work visa in the United States due to her excessive drug use and it became essential that she got sober for her segment of the ceremony that would be held via satellite in her home country. She succeeded and won five Grammys that night, including Song of the Year for “Rehab”, and Best New Artist. Her win for “Song of the Year” spawned her famous “gasp”, when in fact she was just awestruck that one of her most impactful influences, Tony Bennett, had called her name. It was a symphony yo her ears.

Amy’s triumphs that year would reshape the music industry and be the second mark of her legacy to be cemented, leading to similar artists such as Adele and Lana Del Rey reaching great success. The attitude of the music world changed, and other female solo artists made it big following the success of Amy. She was just twenty three years old at that time. This would become the second British Invasion.

Following Amy’s huge victory, Jay-Z and Beyoncé offered her to take residence in their home to be away from Blake and recover, but Amy declined help once again. She didn’t care that she had won six Grammys that night. Amy was so moved that one of her most influential idols, Tony Bennett, called out her name for Album of the Year.

Given a sentence of twenty-seven months behind bars, no amount of money would get Blake out of prison. Amy spiraled, and her Back To Black tour was canceled after the first leg due to her weak performances because of her severe drug and alcohol abuse. Returning home to London, Amy felt worse than before. At one moment her mind was a bit clear, and she realized how much she screwed herself by not finishing the tour millions had been anticipating for. Not knowing what else to do, crack and booze were her tools of the trade to disconnect her from reality.

2008 - 2011 (present)
Tyler saw this as the best opportunity to get Amy some help with Blake out of the picture. It was that year in 2008 when Amy was on her first getaway to the Caribbean, and those still close to her hoped she would wake up and try and fix herself. Rockstar Bryan Adams was more than happy to help Amy, with Tyler on the sidelines. Unfortunately, it would backfire hard. A string of shows throughout the UK took place, some were very poorly received by fans, who pleaded for Amy to get help; some were outraged that she would bother to make people pay for concerts that she was in too poor of a state to reach satisfactory of the crowds. Ever the trooper, Amy trudged through the disaster her life became and refused rehab again, finishing her UK tour.

Throughout the second half of 2008, what was supposed to be a two month stay at the Caribbean island of St. Lucia for Amy to recuperate, turned out to be eight months long. There were no drugs in Amy’s reach during that time, and Tyler remained by her side every step of the way. Her withdrawal was hell, but she pulled through and there was improvement in her behavior. By 2009, she had been entirely sober from class A substances. Sadly, alcohol took its place as Amy’s constant source of comfort.

During her stay in St. Lucia, Amy had a list of flings, and paparazzi had slipped some pictures of her into the tabloids. Enraged, Blake filed for divorce for the reason of infidelity. At that point, Blake was fading from her mind and she was boxing him and going on with her life. Trying to focus on her problems and also write new music, Amy’s perfectionism prevented her from settling upon any material she worked on or recorded. Returning to England in mid-2009 with a clearer consciousness, Amy realized what had taken place in her life the past three years. She could hardly believe it. In time, appreciation and confidence kicked in. Watching videos of herself in fights with journalists and paparazzi alike, discouraged her from ever returning to street drugs.

However, alcohol was making a bold statement in Amy’s life. Her family thought little of it at first, until it started to become a serious issue, affecting Amy’s ability to function. After a year rolled by, her alcohol tolerance had climbed so high most of the time she did not appear intoxicated. Unable to do simple things such as see a doctor, or perform without a shot or two, Amy was falling into an all-new low.

Eminem, one of her all-time favorite music acts, had requested she participate in his upcoming album, Refill. Amy, while very flattered, kindly rejected it, not feeling it was a good time. She was still recovering from her sobriety. That year she was due to write a theme song for a James Bond film, but her addictions held her back on that opportunity as well and the song was canceled.

It was around this time in mid-2010 she began to date movie producer Reg Traviss. Desperate for companionship, she dealt with his emotional and sexual neglect. Reg never moved in with Amy and seldom spent any time with her. She never cheated on him the eight months they were together. Their relationship came to a close in June of 2011. It was after their split she discovered through the man himself that he was seeing other women behind Amy’s back, leaving her heart broken again.

Her last recording was a duet track with the jazz legend, Tony Bennett himself in June of 2011. He was not oblivious to her damaged psyche but encouraged her to get the help she needed. This helped little, Amy was still being consumed by her demons and undiagnosed mental disorders.

Back To Black continued to make revenue. Her main source of income now is her new Fred Perry fashion line and the continuing sales of her music despite not releasing a new album for the past four years. Ultimately, she gave in and fired her father from her management team, who became too infatuated with fame and fortune than his daughter's well-being. Mitch had a solo tour underway and a record ahead of it. Instead of talking about Amy’s issues with addiction directly to her, he would discuss them on television. This strained their relationship more.

Late May of 2011, a pregnancy scare shook Amy to the core. Out of panic, she quit drinking cold turkey. Her relationship with Reg was reaching its dramatic climax, so she never broke the news to him, or anyone else for that matter. Two negative tests later, Amy was treated for her withdrawal at the London Priority Health Clinic. The stay lasted just seven days, but her sobriety stuck by four weeks after.

Amy tanked further after what was considered the worst performance ever held in Serbia. In what was supposed to be her comeback tour, Amy sabotaged it through relapsing yet again. The thought of having to sing “Back To Black”, and “Rehab” again led Amy to getting herself so wasted beforehand so the show would be canceled. Her heart was growing weaker, and each breath was more difficult than the last. No one who knew her had a clue how she was still alive by this point.

The morning before the gig was to take place after dark, she urged her management to cancel the whole tour, but that did not happen regardless of the sorry state of her mental health. Instead, her father insisted she go through with it. And in front of twenty thousand, she was refusing to sing, leaning on her bandmates and demanding she be taken off the stage. Only two songs she performed all the way through despite the booing chorus that she received.

Contrary to popular belief, she was not booed off the stage and the show ended on a high note. Despite all of this, the fan recordings of the show spread all over the internet, making Winehouse a laughing stock once again. Ridiculed by the media and the press, Amy was the butt of the joke.

Seemingly not giving a damn about the outcome of the Belgrade show, Amy moved on from it and pulled off three drunken, but great performances in Brazil. The rest of the tour ended up not taking place, and she returned home, continuing to drink heavily. That late July, she fell down the stairs of her home and sustained a concussion. During her in-home recovery, she relapsed again, downing two bottles of vodka and taking large doses of painkillers to try and numb her agonizing migraines. Overdosing, the high amounts of alcohol in her blood led to a cardiac arrest as her doctor warned her. She was a mere minute or two from death by the time she was resuscitated by paramedics. That health scare did not make Amy’s addiction budge.

Amy's promiscuous lifestyle resumed, unable to settle her heart on one man. Inside, she’s still a screaming little girl who was starved of her parents' love and discipline; her father in particular. The process of her next batch of musical material has been excruciatingly slow, but it is a work in progress. The peculiar writer she was and still is, Amy was not happy with anything that came out on paper and guitar, bringing the process of her next record to a halt. By that point, Amy was not sure if she cared about her music career any longer. She had enough money to live on for the rest of her days. Being ‘Amy Winehouse’ didn’t have to be a lifetime gig.

Contrary to what the tabloids say about her, Amy has been clean from crack and heroin for almost four years now, but still struggles with alcoholism and anorexia. The battle rages on. Whether she wants to quit her music career and pursue Hollywood or try to live a normal life, is determinant. Amy’s talent did not stop with music.