The tremendous Amy Jade Winehouse was born 41 years ago today in Southgate, London, England. What an incredible artist. She sang like no one else, even when one could hear her influences. Her songwriting would have been off the charts by now. She couldn’t catch a break. She was surrounded by people of questionable judgement, including her co-dependent husband, and her own parents; especially her father, who lived vicariously through his daughter’s talent and success by exploiting her for his own wished for notoriety. The “daddy who thinks” she’s fine, so why should she listen to her psychiatrist and get help with her drinking. Who knows where she would have gone artistically by now if she’d been able to proceed.

Six years after her death, Bob Dylan called her “the last real individualist around.”

I remember the first time I saw her. She made her American television debut, appearing on Late Show w/David Letterman in late 2006. In my former gig, I was able to watch the daily Letterman tapings on the internal closed-circuit television channel in the office. I was speechless when Dave introduced her. She launched into “Rehab,” and I was gone. She was completely mesmerizing–a white, Jewish woman from London, dolled up as Ronnie Spector (and just as tiny), singing with the sound of Sarah Vaughan and the phrasing of Billie Holiday, with a lyric that sounded awfully personal. Check it out for yourself:

The next day I bought Back to Black, her second album. On vinyl. 11 songs, clocking in at just under 35:00, exquisitely produced, sung so originally over the music of 1960’s Girl Groups and soul music dating back 50 years. Back to Black didn’t bear much resemblance in sound to her 2003 debut album Frank, a Jazz (and Sinatra) influenced album that was a hit in England. The single “Stronger Than Me” peaked at 71, though it was awarded an Ivor Novello Award (for composition and songwriting). Here she is that year, Strat in place, on Later…with Jools Holland. It was obvious she had the command years earlier that everyone thought came out of nowhere on Back to Black:

The sad story of her decline is well-documented elsewhere. I don’t want to remember her for all that. I want to cherish the two albums she left for us to listen to, one of which is a flat-out masterpiece. Before we get to Today’s Playlist, one last clip, approximately six months before she departed, performing Tony Bennett’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Reportedly, Tony was devastated by her passing:

Today’s Playlist, in honor of the 41st anniversary of the birth of Amy Winehouse, is a SomethingIsHappening compendium of 1960’s Girl Groups:

#AmyWinehouse #TheRonettes #GirlGroups #SoulMusic #TheCrystals #DarleneLove #Rehab #BackToBlack #MarkRonson