Mitch Winehouse

Proving it's not what you know, it's who you know, former taxi driver Mitch Winehouse landed a record deal at the age of 59 following the huge success of his daughter Amy's award-winning Back to Black. Born and raised in London's East End, Mitch first developed a love of swing music after watching his mum and auntie dance to Rat Pack standards at the family hairdressers. However, his musical ambitions were restricted to karaoke performances until his youngest child, Amy, broke through to the mainstream with her second album and became a constant tabloid fixture, thanks to her volatile relationships and issues with drugs and alcohol. Mitch became her unofficial spokesman, defending his daughter's behavior almost daily on various news bulletins and entertainment shows, prompting accusations that he enjoyed the limelight a little too much. Previously a proof-reader for the Jewish Chronicle, a double-glazing salesman, and London cabbie, he became a celebrity in his own right, landing a radio phone-in slot on BBC London, launching his own chat show on online channel Liv, and, encouraged by Amy, recording an album of his own. Produced by family friend Tony Hiller (Brotherhood of Man), Rush of Love was a mixture of lesser-known big-band classics and original compositions, and was released through Janey Records in 2010. ~ Jon O'Brien