TEARS DRY ON THEIR OWN: REMEMBERING AMY WINEHOUSE
Join Sydney’s finest chanteuses in a night of soulful interpretation, honoring the voice and passion of an unparalleled talent, Amy Winehouse, as vocalists, Alice Terry, Billy McCarthy and Ines are accompanied by full 8 piece band at ‘The Basement’ on Sunday 14th September.
Amy Winehouse
Who: Remembering Amy Winehouse
Where: The Basement, Sydney
When: Sunday, 14th September
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer-songwriter known for her deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul (sometimes labelled as blue-eyed soul), rhythm and blues, jazz and reggae. Winehouse’s 2003 debut album, Frank, was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to five 2008 Grammy Awards, tying the record at that time for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the general field “Big Four” awards: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Winehouse won three Ivor Novello Awards: in 2004, Best Contemporary Song for “Stronger Than Me”; in 2007, Best Contemporary Song again, this time for “Rehab”; and in 2008, Best Song Musically and Lyrically for “Love Is a Losing Game”. She won the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Female artist, having also been nominated for Best British Album, with Back to Black.
Her album Back to Black posthumously became the UK’s best-selling album of the 21st century, at that point. In 2012, Winehouse was ranked 26th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women In Music. The BBC has called her “the pre-eminent vocal talent of her generation”.
British singer Adele has credited Winehouse’s success in making her and fellow British singer Duffy’s journey to the United States “a bit smoother”. Lady Gaga credited Winehouse with paving the way for her rise to the top of the charts, explaining that Winehouse made it easier for unconventional women to have mainstream pop success. Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend said “Amy Winehouse was produced by people who wanted to create a marketing coup. The positive side is that it reacquainted an audience with this music and played an introductory role for others. This reinvigorated the genre by overcoming the vintage aspect”.
Other artists that have credited Winehouse as a major influence as well for paving the way for them include Emeli Sandé, Misha B,Jessie J, Paloma Faith, Lana Del Rey, and Florence Welch.
After the release of Back to Black, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound and fearless and experimental female musicians in general. Adele and Duffy were the second wave of artists with a sound similar to Winehouse’s. A third wave of female musicians that has emerged since the album was released are led by V V Brown, Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Little Boots. In March 2011 the New York Daily News ran an article attributing the continuing wave of British female artists that have been successful in the United States to Winehouse and her absence. Spin magazine music editor Charles Aaron was quoted as saying “Amy Winehouse was the Nirvana moment for all these women,” “They can all be traced back to her in terms of attitude, musical styles or fashion”. According to Keith Caulfield, chart manager for Billboard, “Because of Amy, or the lack thereof, the marketplace was able to get singers like Adele and Duffy,” “Now those ladies have brought on the new ones, like Eliza Doolittle, Rumer and Ellie.”