Amy Winehouse's Back To Black turns 10

Originally published on Oct. 27, 2016

Ten years ago, a rising British artist put out an album that would help her break into the mainstream, win her numerous Grammy Awards and launch her into superstardom. That artist was Amy Winehouse and that album is Back To Black. 

Unfortunately, five years after this record's release, Winehouse died in her Camden home after years of struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. Today, we're celebrating both the remarkable achievements of this release and its strong and spirited creator. 

q spoke with Neal Sugarman, co-founder of Daptone Records and the tenor saxophonist on Winehouse's seminal record. 

"[Producer Mark Ronson] brought this in, telling us it was going to be an important project," Sugarman remembers, of how he and Daptone got involved with Winehouse.

"I think what made Amy so special was that she was tapping into her influences of old music and putting a new spin on a genre of music that existed before and just bringing tons of personality to it," he continues. "She wrote unbelievable songs [...] Everyone can take away something from her experiences." 

WEB EXTRA | Listen to some songs off of Back To Black below.