Amy Winehouse Gossip

Winehouse was born to an English family with a history of jazz musicians. She grew up in the suburb of Southgate, North London, and attended Ashmole School. At around the age of 10, Winehouse founded a short-lived amateur rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour, as Sour. She described the group as "the little white Jewish Salt 'n' Pepa". She attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School when she was 12 years old but was expelled at 13 for "not applying herself" and piercing her own nose. She later attended the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon.

She grew up listening to a diverse range of music (from Salt 'n' Pepa to Sarah Vaughan) and received her first guitar at 13. Artists who have influenced her style include Nas, Mos Def, Teena Marie, Beastie Boys, Busta Rhymes, Elvis Pressly, Carole King, Mahalia Jackson, The Ronettes, The Shangri-las, The Shirelles, Sarah Vaughan, Minnie Riperton, Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, The Specials, Toots and the Maytals and Thelonious Monk.

After her friend, soul singer Tyler James, gave her demo tape to an A&R person, she was discovered and began singing professionally at age 16. She signed to her current record label, Island/Universal, under management company 19 Management, Simon Fuller's management company.