AMY WINEHOUSE & TONY BENNETT

This is a collaborative illustration of Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett - their anticipated duet of Johnny Green’s Body and Soul.

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My illustration visualizes their relationship. I want to show how through the intertwining aspects of their lives that they got to share, they were able to produce wonderful music. They have deep respect for each other. Bennett being Winehouse’s idol emphasized her wish to work with someone who knows more music than her to learn from. Bennett sees Winehouse as a one-of-the-kind “kindred spirit” who was born with the spirit of Jazz. In his words, “(She) was my favorite to perform with on the whole album.”

Bennett shared the story during the recording process when Winehouse felt a bit overwhelmed, and so he mentioned how he could feel Dinah Washington’s influence in her voice. She was thrilled as soon as Bennett mentioned her name as she was her “goddess”. That gave a huge boost to her and she gave her best performance afterward. Winehouse followed up with a statement, “Tony understands me, you know?”

In his book, Just Getting Started, Bennett reflected on his regret of not talking to Winehouse after realizing her addiction. He shared that he had fallen into the same bad cycle and wanted to reassure her that it’s possible to bring herself back. In his words, “Would it have made a difference if someone she considered an idol had said to her something like, ‘You’re my idol. You are a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Please don’t take that from the world.’”