CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · People & Ideas

Amy Winehouse

English singer-songwriter (1983–2011)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
People and ideasInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ15897 ↗
Source-derived summary

Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was a British singer and songwriter. She is known for her distinctive contralto vocals, expressive and autobiographical songwriting, and eclectic blend of genres such as soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Her music, along with her fashion and highly publicised personal life, made her an influential figure in popular culture.

Born to a Jewish family in Enfield, London, Winehouse grew up in a jazz-influenced household. She was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in her youth, recording several songs before signing a publishing deal with EMI. After a friend passed her demo to a music executive, Winehouse signed with Island Records in 2002. She worked with producer Salaam Remi for her debut studio album, Frank (2003), which was commercially successful in the UK and drew critical acclaim for its mature songwriting and jazz-imbued production. Its lead single, "Stronger Than Me", earned the singer an Ivor Novello Award.

Inspired by 1960s girl groups and soul music, Winehouse recorded her second studio album, Back to Black (2006), with Remi, the Dap-Kings and producer Mark Ronson. It became an international critical and commercial success and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Its lead single, "Rehab", was a worldwide top-ten song and won her a second Ivor Novello Award.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Amy Winehouse” as english singer-songwriter (1983–2011). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Winehouse, English and singer-songwriter.

Editorial reviewA productive starting point for separating a subject’s documented career from later reputation and commemoration. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1983, 2011, 2002, 2003—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1983-09-14. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Winehouse, English and singer-songwriter providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Amy Winehouse”, the useful work is to connect “english singer-songwriter (1983–2011)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15897. VIAF identifies the subject as 40585299. The Library of Congress control number is no2004056320. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1983, 2011, 2002 and 2003.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Amy Winehouse”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Amy Winehouse primary sources, Amy Winehouse archive and Winehouse research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Amy Winehouse”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Amy Winehouse” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.