Watch Amy Winehouse Blow Wembley Arena Away Using Just Her Voice and a Stratocaster
The musical dynamo was far more than just a singer.
![Amy Winehouse performs on stage as part of "The Miller Strat Pack" concert, at Wembley Arena on September 24, 2004 in London. The event pays homage to the Fender Stratocaster, is in aid of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, and celebrates 50 years of the iconic guitar.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tfYUT47vCKU62HeK6MaNUS-320-80.jpg)
Ten years ago on this day, singer and guitarist Amy Winehouse sadly passed away at her home in Camden Town, London. At 27 years old, she will remain forever young, immortalized in her music and the memories of those who watched from a distance and, at times, up close.
Here we get to see a 20-year-old Winehouse up close as she wows the crowd at London’s Wembley Arena with nothing more than her voice and a Stratocaster. In this 2004 all-star event marking the 50th anniversary of Fender’s iconic Stratocaster she goes it alone against a backdrop of guitar legends, including David Gilmour, Ronnie Wood, and Hank Marvin.
Widely known for her stellar vocal talents, Winehouse picked up the guitar as a child, eventually using a Stratocaster to perform some of her best-known songs. Inspired by the likes of Carole King, PJ Harvey, and Shuggie Otis, Winehouse’s self-tuition coupled with a remarkable gift for songwriting resulted in a unique playing style that was her perfect musical accompaniment.
“I just played every day. It was all I wanted to do,” she told an interviewer at the 2004 event. “It’s so easy to teach yourself if you love the guitar… If you learn how to play the guitar off someone [else] you just kind of learn to play it like them, you know what I mean? And that’s why I can say that while I’m not even an adequate guitarist, I’m still a distinctive guitarist. I sound different.”
Buy the The Strat Pack: Live in Concert here.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Rod Brakes is a music journalist with an expertise in guitars. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a writer covering artists, industry pros and gear includes contributions for leading publications and websites such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World, Guitar Player and MusicRadar in addition to specialist music books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.
“When Paul Shaffer introduced the Blues Brothers for the first time on SNL, he said, ‘With the help of Curt Salgado and the Cray Band, we give you the Blues Brothers’”: Robert Cray on Animal House, and the origins of the Blues Brothers
“Femininity in rock and roll isn’t always something you find. If you’re a woman, being tough has meant being like Joan Jett”: With a helping hand from Greta Van Fleet's Sam Kiszka, Hannah Wicklund has her eyes on the prize