thechanelmuse:

1. Amy Loved Salt-N-Pepa.

At age ten, she founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet ‘n’ Sour with her best friend, Juliette Ashby. “Little white Jewish Salt-N-Pepa. I was ‘Sour,’ of course.”

2. Amy Got Her Nose Pierced at 13.

She was kicked out of the Sylvia Young Theatre School for the piercing. She dropped out of school completely at 14.

3. Amy’s Childhood Dream Job

She wanted to be a waitress on roller-skates, like the ones she’d seen in the movie “American Graffiti.”

4. Amy Learned To Sing From Dinah Washington.

“[When I was younger] I started listening to Ella Fitzgerald. My brother had all the good stuff and he was like [shakes head]…Dinah Washington. So, I learned to sing from her a lot.” (x)

5. Amy’s Favorite Artists

Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Mahalia Jackson, Nas, Mos Def and Busta Rhymes were her favorite artists. She always wanted to collaborate with Busta Rhymes, Mos Def and Rah Digga.

6. Amy’s All-Time Favorite Song Was Carole King’s “So Far Away.”

Friends and family members sang the folk-rock tune at her funeral. 

7. Questlove: “Amy Taught Me About Jazz.”

“She’s such a jazz snob. I couldn’t stand it, but I was obsessed with it. Once we exchanged information, she would always be on her computer sending me mp3’s. ‘Listen to this, listen to this.’ We spent a lot of time on skype talking about crazy ideas. She schooled me about Sarah Vaughan. I schooled her about J Dilla. Then she was like ‘alright we’re gonna start a supergroup. You, me, Mos [Def], and Raphael Saadiq.’ I was like ok and she started assigning homework. ‘Study this record, study this record.’ I really miss not having her here. I mean, I thought I was a music snob and I thought I had my doctorate in jazz, but no. There’s so much more I could’ve learned. She was a teacher, more than my skype buddy. She taught me a lot.” (x)