Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse was born September 14, 1983, in Camden, London, England. The niece of professional jazz players, Amy grew up surrounded by music and formed her first group at the age of 10. "Me and my friend loved Salt-N-Pepa," she explains. "So we formed a band called Sweet ?n' Sour. We had a tune called ?Spinderella,' which was great... but it was a long time ago."

Although the group's tenure was short-lived, Amy continued to pursue her interest in live performance by attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone at the age of 12. Unfortunately, the school's classes failed to capture her interest and she was expelled the following year for "not applying herself."

Undaunted, Amy packed her bags and enrolled at the BRIT School, Britain's only free performing arts and technology institution. The change of scenery agreed with her and, within three years, Amy was signed to her first record contract by Island Records -- the same label that also represents Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey and Fall Out Boy.