‘Celebration of her art’: Amy Winehouse tribute tour comes to Richmond
Remember Jones performs on stage at The Canal Club for the ‘Back to Black to Black: The Amy Winehouse Celebration’ at The Canal Club on Nov. 30. Photo courtesy of Rodney Keller Photography.
Carolyn Slingluff, Contributing Writer
Longtime artist and producer Remember Jones brought “Back to Back to Black: The Amy Winehouse Celebration” to The Canal Club in Richmond on Nov. 30.
The show began as a one-night production eight years ago and has morphed into an annual tour, traveling to over 40 states and countless cities in the time since, Jones said.
The show gained traction when it debuted on the fifth anniversary of Winehouse’s passing as the first-ever live performance of her entire “Back to Black” album. It speaks to a mutual love of Winehouse that is harbored by both the band members and audiences all around the United States, according to Jones.
“People started to get nostalgic for the music, and Amy had been gone for a few years. We hit five cities, sold out all the shows and then it just became a thing that I produced and have been doing,” Jones said.
Renowned publications, such as Rolling Stone, now celebrate the tour’s success over the years and the resurgence of interest in Winehouse that it has sparked, according to an article published in April.
The current show consists of a 12-person band, including a horn section and five singers who each bring their own perspectives and renditions of the songs, Jones said.
“We don’t want anybody to compare us to Amy. We want everybody to hear the songs as if they’re hearing it for the first time,” Jones said.
“Back to Back to Black” remains the only tribute in the world of its kind, Jones said. Performers do not try to directly emulate Winehouse in appearance and sound, but instead lend credit to her brilliant poeticism and musicality, rather than just her iconic personality.
Saturday’s production drew fans from far and wide, including Màdelon and Deroen Baetman from the Netherlands. The couple found the show while exploring “Things to Do in Richmond,” and decided to come because they love Winehouse’s music, Màdelon Baetman said.
The Baetman’s have been vacationing in the U.S. for the past two months, and a highlight of their trip has been a Motown-inspired show they saw in St. Louis, Missouri, Deroen Baetman said. They look forward to seeing more good music from high-quality musicians at “Back to Back to Black.”
“They can take you into the music so that you really believe it,” Màdelon Baetman said.
Sheryl Scruggs, the founder and creative director of shop MEYVN, has been living in D.C. but traveled back to Richmond to attend the event with her friend, Lorna Kelley.
As a long-time fan, Scruggs was looking forward to seeing how the show would pay homage to Winehouse, she said. Scruggs even played Winehouse’s music at her wedding at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2021.
“Sadly, you don’t hear much about Amy anymore. You know, people just don’t understand her brilliance,” Scruggs said. “People that were present when she was coming up, you know, we knew, but the young people, they don’t. So it’s a whole lost celebration of her art.”
Ellie Allred, a Richmond local, attended Saturday’s show with her husband. For people like Allred, “Back to Back to Black” was an opportunity to experience music that may otherwise be lost to a different time, she said.
“I figured out about a year ago that I really missed out on Amy Winehouse because of my age and when she passed. I didn’t get to see her live. And I now appreciate her music more than before,” Allred said.
The show was different from what she expected, but she liked it — especially how the energy of the performers, who seemed to truly enjoy what they were doing, fed the energy of the audience in the room, Allred said.
“When the band is having a good time, it reflects on the people watching the show. It seems like they’re having a great time, and I like that,” Allred said.
