Early Life
Amy Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of north London to Jewish parents. Part of her mother's family originated in Russia. Her parents influenced her interest in jazz. Her father, Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, was a taxi driver; her mother, Janis Winehouse (née Seaton), a pharmacist. Her grandmother Cynthia was a singer and she had an older brother, Alex (born 1979). Many of her uncles on the mother's side of her family were professional jazz musicians. Her father Mitch often sang Frank Sinatra songs to young Amy, who also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class. Winehouse's parents separated when she was nine.
When Winehouse was nine years old, her grandmother Cynthia suggested she attend the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for furthering her vocal education. She attended the Earnshaw school for four years and founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with Juliette Ashby, her childhood friend before seeking full-time training at Sylvia Young Theatre School; however, Winehouse was allegedly expelled at 14 for "not applying herself" and also for piercing her nose. (Sylvia Young herself has denied this – "She changed schools at 15 – I've heard it said she was expelled; she wasn't. I'd never have expelled Amy.") She also appeared in an episode of The Fast Show, 1997, with other children from the Sylvia Young School and later attended The Mount School, Mill Hill, the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon, Southgate School and then Ashmole School.
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