b. 14 September 1983, Southgate, Enfield, Middlesex, England. UK singer-songwriter Winehouse emerged in 2003 with her startling accomplished debut, Frank, although her profile undoubtedly benefited from the revival of interest in jazz prompted by the success of US artist Norah Jones. Based in Camden, London, Winehouse is a former pupil of the Sylvia Young stage school in Marylebone, an institution from which she was expelled at the age of 14 (allegedly for turning up to class wearing a nose stud). She ended up at an all-girls school where she learned to play the piano and began writing original material that demonstrated her love for both jazz and folk. She began performing with cover bands and jazz orchestras and was introduced to urban R&B by a flatmate. When word began to spread about her vocal and songwriting talents, Winehouse found herself a management company and before too long had landed a major label recording contract with Island Records. She completed work on her solo debut in early 2003, with the album released to general acclaim in October. The mix of smooth vocals and contemporary beats earned approving comparisons to Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, while lyrically Winehouse revealed a talent for candid observation, blasting gold-diggers on the strident "Fuck Me Pumps", mulling over a break-up on "Take The Box", and moaning about an older lover on the single "Stronger Than Me" (the latter won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song). The album belatedly entered the upper regions of the UK charts in early 2004 when it was nominated for a couple of BRIT awards.
The media interest for Winehouse's second album was very much a story of the artist's survival from the excesses of alcohol and drugs and her continuing manic depression. This all added to a great singer-songwriter story, and one of interest because Winehouse clearly has oodles of talent, as demonstrated by the excellent 2006 release Back To Black. This time around Winehouse, with the help of producer Mark Ronson, drew on classic 60s girl group pop as much as soul and jazz, most notably on the gloriously dissolute single "Rehab". The album was a major commercial success throughout Europe and North America, climbing to the top of the UK charts at the start of 2007 (it was confirmed as the bestselling release of the year in December) and reaching the US Top 10.
Sadly, the singer's personal problems were spiralling out of control by now and live dates were frequently cut short or cancelled as a result. In February 2008, she was barred from entering the USA and was unable to attend the Grammy Awards due to her pending drug convictions. She appeared (and performed) via a video link, and cleaned up in other ways by winning five awards, including Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year for "Rehab". Winehouse's future looks very bright, providing she can deal with her personal problems and the paparazzi.
