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Amy Winehouse

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Submitted By kece252
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Son’keceya Whitfield
English 3
Mrs. Askew
April 23, 2012

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse is important to her fans this will help you with her childhood, claim to fame, and her death. Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in London. By the age of 10 in 1993, Amy grew out the long jet black hair she famously wore in a beehive hairdo once she hit the big time At the age of 10, she became drawn to the rebellious spirit of TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and other American R&B and hip-hop acts, and founded a short-lived amateur rap group called Sweet 'n Sour. At the age 12 Winehouse wins a space in the prestigious Sylvia young theatre school, but is expelled long before graduation. But by the age of 16, Winehouse was expelled for "not applying herself" and piercing her nose. That same year, she caught her first big break when a schoolmate and close friend, pop singer Tyler James, passed her demo tape to his label, A&R, who was searching for a jazz vocalist.( “Biography”) The opportunity led her to a record deal with Island/Universal. Amy Winehouse developed a distinctive style of her own. Her signature beehive hairstyle has become the model for fashion designers, while her vulnerability, her fragile personality and self-destructive behavior has been regular tabloid news, and subject of criticism and controversy. In April 2008 she was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the British population at large, and a month later was voted the second most hated personality in the UK. George Michael called her the "best female vocalist he has heard in his entire career," while Keith Richards warned that she "won't be around long" if her behavior doesn't change.(“Mock”) From the perspective of the public eye, Amy Winehouse was a stand out talent in a landscape of cookie cutter “celebrities” that were famous for being famous. Whether you liked her music or you didn’t like her music Amy Winehouse became a celebrity based on her actual talent; unlike the previously mentioned, factory made, peers that she stood head and shoulders above in every way. The first song by Amy Winehouse that I remember hearing was, like most people, “Rehab” and as I rode in the passenger seat of my friend’s car I became more and more enchanted by this artist. I was so impressed by her performance that I went and purchased the same album I heard earlier in the day. Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter (“Mock”). She was known for her marvelous voice and controversial private life. She debuted in 2003 at the age of 20 with the album ‘Frank’. It set her on the road to fame. Music lovers everywhere were excited about her talents and how her career would progress. She was one of music’s hottest stars but constantly battled against drugs and alcohol. Amy Winehouse drank herself to death. That was the ruling of a coroner's inquest into the death of the Grammy-winning soul singer, who died with empty vodka bottles in her room and lethal amounts of alcohol in her blood – more than five times the British drunk driving limit. The 27-year-old Winehouse had fought a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse for years, and there had been much speculation that she died from a drug overdose. But a pathologist said the small amount of a drug prescribed to help her cope with the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal had nothing to do with her death.(“Biography”) Although the singer was adored by fans worldwide for her unique voice and style, praise for her singing was often eclipsed by lurid headlines about her destructive relationships and erratic behavior. Winehouse herself turned to her tumultuous life and personal demons for music material, resulting in such songs as "Rehab." “The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol, and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time. She had started drinking again that week after a period of abstinence. (“Biography”)"It underlines how important our work with the Amy Winehouse Fountain is to us, to help as many young people and children as we can in her name. It means a lot to us, and from the overwhelming messages of support we have had since Amy died, we know she meant a great deal to people all over the world. We want to thank everyone for that and for their continuing enthusiasm for the foundation."

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