Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ Celebrated at 20th-Anniversary Roundhouse Concert
Flo, Mark Ronson, Jessie Reyez, Baby Rose, and more performed at the Roundhouse Theater’s anniversary celebration in honor of the late singer-songwriter.
The Amy Winehouse Band reunited at London’s Roundhouse Theater on October 21 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic album Back to Black. The show gathered eleven guest vocalists, with each one taking on a different track from the album. The lineup featured Corinne Bailey Rae (“Back to Black”), FLO (“He Can Only Hold Her”), Jessie Reyez (“Rehab”), Jorja Smith (“Some Unholy War”), Lianne La Havas (“You Know I’m No Good”), Yebba (“Love Is a Losing Game”) and more.
The one-night-only show was led by the album’s producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, musical director Dale Davis, producers Paul O’Duffy and p*nut, and Darcus Beese OBE. Rounding out the singers were Baby Rose (“Wake Up Alone”), Sasha Keable (“Just Friends”), Skye Newman (“Addicted”), and Terri Walker (“Me & Mr. Jones”). All of the artists closed the night down with a group rendition of The Zutons’ “Valerie,” which Winehouse famously recorded.
“It’s crazy that six songs made in a fit of furious musical infatuation would matter so deeply to so many people twenty years later,” Ronson said. Winehouse died of accidental alcohol poisoning in 2011, at the age of 27. Remi added: “Amy was one of one. One-of-a-kind artist. One-of-a-kind spirit. One-of-a-kind soul.” The performances will stream on BBC’s YouTube channel on Saturday, October 24, and air on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on Monday, October 26, within Jo Whiley’s show.
An expanded edition of Back to Black also hits stores today, in both 3LP clear vinyl and 3CD formats. These expanded reissues build out the original album with unreleased demos, rare B-sides, a live performance from Paradiso in Amsterdam, and previously unseen photographs by Mischa Richter and Alex Lake. Ronson and Remi both also contributed liner notes.
Released in 2006, Back to Black is one of the best-selling albums of all time and the UK’s second best-selling album of the 21st century. It won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards and was nominated for Album of the Year–Winehouse also brought home four other awards at the ceremony. It was shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize, and is now preserved in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
