Written By: by ShainaM

The Amy Winehouse Foundation’s Gala and Inspiration Awards was held on Thursday at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and featured honoree Tony Bennett, performer Jennifer Hudson and a guest list including Sean Lennon, Salem Remi, Mark Ronson and Harry Belafonte. Yet Winehouse’s father, Mitch, had someone else in mind when he took the stage. “The person I’d like to thank the most is Amy,” he said. “We just formalized it by calling it the Amy Winehouse Foundation. She started this long before.” We were able to catch up with legendary producer Salaam Remi at the event.

You’re one of the first producers to work with Amy back in the day. What was that like?

It was great experience working with an 18 old girl that had a lot drive and a lot of natural talent and then find ways to help her move forward.

How was she in the studio?

In the studio: super talented, really focused, really gritty. As you listen to her first album “Frank,” you can hear it, just extremely talented

What does it mean for you to be here today ?

For me it’s something inspirational. For me, although I was well into my career by the time I met her, she still inspired me to take another dive into a different style of music. Also, someone who inspired me personally by just what she did.

What were some of Amy’s Hip-hop influences ?

When you met Amy and you asked her if she was a singer she would say she’s a jazz singer, but at the same time she was of the generation of hip-hop. So when she was in school, she would do Salt-N-Pepa songs, “Push it”, “I’ll take your Man”. Later on, when we were doing our record stuff, she listened to a lot Nas stuff, Mos Def. She had opinions. She liked to argue. She would say, “Rah Digga is the best female lyricist and let me tell you why.”

Amy’s Creative Process?

The majority of Amy’s songs that were released were either written on guitar or piano and then I arranged it. A lot of time, she would be with me but at the same time writing on the guitar.

Favorite Amy Song ?

Ahh it changes all the time for me

Article Source: TheSource.com