T&H to publish 'love letter' to Amy Winehouse, curated by close friend

Thames & Hudson is to publish Amy Winehouse: Beyond Black, curated by the singer-songwriter's former stylist and close friend Naomi Parry.

Described as an "affectionate, upbeat and evocative" book, it tells the story of the singer's life through photographs and the memories and anecdotes of friends and colleagues. These include Ronnie Spector, Vivienne Westwood, Bryan Adams, Little Simz, Carl Barât, close friend Catriona Gourlay, Douglas Charles-Ridler (owner of the Hawley Arms), tattooist Henry Hate, goddaughter Dionne Broomfield and DJ Bioux, whose personal insights build a layered picture of a much admired but troubled star. Vice Culture editor Emma Garland has also written an overview of Winehouse's life, work and achievements. 

The synopsis explains: "Featuring new photography and organised chronologically, Amy Winehouse: Back to Black gives readers a deeply moving insight into the world of Amy Winehouse. Containing a wealth of never-before-seen memorabilia, including stage outfits and personal clothing, notebooks and working lyric sheets alongside contextual snapshots and hundreds of iconic and unseen photographs. Punctuating each story are photographs of personality-infused room sets. Each image is created, dressed and styled with Amy’s clothing and possessions by Naomi Parry, evoking a particular time period or aspect of Amy’s unique character." 

Thames & Hudson holds worldwide rights, with local editions sold in France, Germany, Italy and the US. 

Parry lived, worked and travelled with Winehouse from 2005 to 2011. Commenting on the book, she said: "Every part of this book has been created with Amy in mind. From the choice of writer and photographer, sets and locations, design and imagery, right through to the personal recollections of a multitude of different voices – my intention throughout was to accurately reflect the person I knew and her enormous character. With this book, I wanted to redress the balance of what has become an accepted but misleading narrative, pulling together all the positives of Amy’s life and career into one place so the reader can feel a little closer to her. Ultimately this is a love letter to someone who had a huge impact on so many people and whose legacy will outlive us all."

Tristan de Lancey, head of illustrated reference at the publisher, added: "Amy is one of the greats, whose audience transcends both musical genres and audience age. An enduring legacy book such as this is well overdue, and there can be no better home for it than at Thames & Hudson. As a huge Amy fan, I am delighted with the end result!"

Amy Winehouse: Beyond Black will publish on 14th September 2021 – Winehouse's birthday – and will be supported by an extensive promotional campaign.