Several years ago I bought the CD album "Rockferry" because both of us loved the single "Mercy" on it from Duffy. My wife and I both loved the Rhythm and blues versions of these songs mostly from the 1950s from England now in this world era. Today I found this CD in a stack on one of our business desks near my wife's IMac and showed it to our housekeeper and played "Mercy" for her. This was great because it inspired me to get on my piano and play some songs. Then I decided to record some of those from the Jamming session where I played variations on Heart and Soul. Since "Heart and Soul" is usually played in the key of C it is very easy for me to do basically infinite variations on it since I have been playing music on a piano since I was 8. I took piano lessons from age 8 until age 16. Playing music is very healing for me since I had my operation. I started by singing in the shower in Portland in the DeLuxe Hotel and recording myself singing in the great acoustics there on my Iphone. The 4 of us stayed at the DeLuxe Hotel because it was within walking distance or a short taxi ride to the Moody Blues Concert we went to in Portland on April 24th 2015.
The lineup of songs on the CD Rockferry by Duffy are: Rockferry, Warwick Avenue, serious, Stepping Stone, Syrup and Honey, Hanging out too long, Mercy, Delayed emotion, I'm scared, Distant Dreamer.
Duffy Playlist (20+ videos) - Yahoo Screen
Interview with Duffy - Duffy
My Boy (Live at Café de Paris, 2010) - Duffy
Warwick Avenue (Live at The BRIT Awards, 2009) - Duffy
Rain On Your Parade - Duffy
Stepping Stone - Duffy
Duffy At The Roxy - Duffy
Intro to "Well Well Well" - Duffy
Endlessly (Live at Café de Paris, 2010) - Duffy
Rockferry - Duffy
Well, Well, Well - Duffy
Well, Well, Well (The Making of) - Duffy
Mercy Acousic Performance at AZ, Paris - Duffy
Endlessly (Live on Jools Holland, 2010) - Duffy
Intro to "Rude Boy" - Duffy
Warwick Avenue - Duffy
Intro to "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Duffy
Intro to "Vertigo" - Duffy
Intro to "Don't Speak" - Duffy
Well, Well, Well (Live at Café de Paris, 2010) - Duffy
Mercy (Live at Café de Paris, 2010) - Duffy
Duffy (singer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffy_(singer)Cached
Amie Ann Duffy (born 23 June 1984), known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer, songwriter and occasional actress. Born in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, her career began when she ...
Duffy (singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the British female singer born in 1984. For the English male singer born in 1941, see Duffy Power. For the English male singer/songwriter born in 1960, see Stephen Duffy.
| Duffy | |
|---|---|
Duffy in 2010.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amie Ann Duffy |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | 23 June 1984 Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present (hiatus)[2] |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Bernard Butler |
| Website | iamduffy.com |
Her 2008 debut album, Rockferry, entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008[5] with 1.68 million copies sold.[6] The album was certified several times Platinum[7] and sold over 7 million copies worldwide, spawning the hits "Mercy" and "Warwick Avenue". With "Mercy", Duffy became the first Welsh woman to achieve number-one on the UK Singles Chart since Bonnie Tyler topped the charts with "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1983.[8][9] In 2010, she completed recording of her second album Endlessly that was released on 29 November and made her acting debut in the film Patagonia.[10][11][12] In February 2011, Duffy announced she would take an extended hiatus from music before beginning work on her third album.[2]
In 2009, Duffy won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Rockferry, and she was nominated for two other Grammys at the 51st Grammy Awards.[13][14] In 2009, she won three Brit Awards: British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album.[15]
Contents
Early life
Duffy was born in Bangor, Gwynedd to John Duffy, who was born in Liverpool and brought up in Rock Ferry, Wirral; and a Welsh mother, Joyce Smith (née Williams), born in Bangor, Caernarfonshire and brought up in Nefyn, near Pwllheli. She was partly raised in Nefyn with her twin sister, Katy Ann, and older sister Kelly Ann, who was born in 1980. Duffy's parents divorced when she was 10 and she moved to Letterston, near the Pembrokeshire town of Fishguard with her mother and sisters.[16]Duffy attended Ysgol Nefyn (Nefyn School), Gwynedd on the Llyn Peninsula and Sir Thomas Picton School in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire as a child. At the age of 17, she attended the Pwllheli campus of Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor to study for her A levels. She subsequently went to Chester University and studied for Commercial Music Production in the Warrington campus. From 2004, she studied Performing Arts at the Parkgate campus.[17]
In September 1998, at the age of 14, Duffy was briefly put in a police safe house when authorities uncovered a plot by her stepfather's ex-wife to pay an assassin £3,000 to kill her stepfather, Philip Smith. Smith's ex-wife, Dawn Watson, was sentenced to a 3½-year jail term for soliciting to murder. Smith had previously beaten up Watson's new husband Marc Watson, who had also accused Smith of being violent towards his ex-partner whilst they were together.[18] "I was so terrified. I felt so ill," Duffy recounted in 2008, as reported by the NME and the Sun.[19][20][21][22] Duffy describes living in the safe house as a dog-eat-dog, claustrophobic and isolating experience. At age 15, she ran away back to her father's home in Nefyn. Duffy said in retrospect, "It was a horrendous thing to do." Her mother and her sisters did not speak to her for about a year afterward. In reaction to her parents' break-up, the following three years were a rebellious period that included binge drinking and stealing a rowing boat.[23]
Music career
2003–06: Musical beginnings
After finishing her GCSEs in Pembrokeshire,[24] Duffy returned to Nefyn, to live with her father, when she was fifteen, and started singing in various local bands. Duffy then spent six weeks in Switzerland (before she started college), collaborating with the writer-producer Soren Mounir, under the name Soulego.[25] She was advised by a lecturer at Chester University to "Go on the dole, love, and become a singer".[24] She also built up a following at Alexander's, a local jazz and blues club in Chester, performing with guitarist David Burton from the band The Invisible Wires.[26] Duffy returned to Wales in 2003 and was invited to appear on Wawffactor, a Welsh television talent show. She was expected to win but came second to winner Lisa Pedrick.[27]In 2004, following success on Wawffactor, Duffy recorded a three-song Welsh extended play, titled Aimée Duffy, while working part-time in two jobs as waitress and in a fishmongers.[28] It later achieved 2008 Welsh chart success, charting at number-one on the "Siart C2" music chart. Duffy, now in high demand, appeared on Mint Royale's See You in the Morning as a back-up singer.[29] Duffy was introduced to Jeanette Lee of Rough Trade Records in August 2004, after singing Richard J. Parfitt's "Oh Boy".[30] Lee moved Duffy to Crouch End in London, orchestrating a meeting between Duffy and Suede's ex-guitar player Bernard Butler.[31] Lee with Rough Trade would eventually manage Duffy.[32] After Butler had given Duffy a soul music "education" by downloading tracks on to her iPod that she could listen to while around London or travelling back to Wales, the pair co-wrote with her and helped create a new retro sound.[33] The music included tracks Al Green, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, Doris Duke, Scott Walker, Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach.[24] Duffy was quoted as saying Bettye Swann "is one of my biggest inspirations" particularly her song "Cover Me" because "it marks the time I got interested in physical contact. I was 19, and here was a woman singing 'Cover me, spread your precious love all over me.' It's very tender, but it's also, hilariously, quite crude."[34]
2007–08: Rockferry and international breakthrough
Main article: Rockferry
Duffy singing at SXSW, 15 March 2008
Butler and his musical partner David McAlmont, and a number of other musicians formed the backbone of Duffy's band for her debut album, Rockferry, which was released on A&M Records on 3 March 2008.[41] The black and white album art and video for the title track were shot by directors Luke Seomore and Joseph Bull, on and around the Ffestiniog Railway in Porthmadog, which was renamed 'Rockferry' for the occasion.[42] According to Duffy, "The album took nearly four years to make. We had to hire cheap, tiny studios and sometimes there would be three-week periods between writing and recording." Bernard Butler, who was not initially paid, produced four songs for the album, including the single, "Rockferry".[43] The singles "Mercy" and "Stepping Stone", were co-written and produced by Steve Booker, and the second single "Warwick Avenue", by Jimmy Hogarth and Eg White. Duffy released the debut limited edition single "Rockferry" in November 2007 followed by the Steve Booker co-written and produced single, "Mercy", which went straight to number one. "Mercy" was the last song written for the album.[44] The single was physically released on 25 February 2008.[citation needed] She revealed that both "Mercy" and "Stepping Stone" are autobiographical; "Mercy" is about "sexual liberty" and "not doing something somebody else wants you to do", and "Stepping Stone" is about not expressing her feelings to a person she fell in love with.[45] "Warwick Avenue" was the second single released from the album. The song occurred when Duffy, then 19 years old, was familiarising herself with the London Underground and accidentally found herself at the Warwick Avenue station. The following day the song "just sort of came out". At first the video for the song was meant to be an elaborate production but ended up a tearful head shot in a taxi cab with Duffy's mascara smudging. Duffy has said "That's as close as I'm ever going to get to doing a performance that's real in a video."[46]
Duffy performing at the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
"Every time I'm in America, I feel there's some atmosphere – I can't
put my finger on it [...] but there's some excitement that exists
nowhere else. And I think it's because soul music, black music, is
basically what started pop music"
Duffy,
San Diego Union Tribune[56]
San Diego Union Tribune[56]
2009–10: Continued success and Endlessly
Duffy performing live at the Super Bock Super Rock on 17 July 2009.
The album's success led to a period of confusion about her role in the music business that nearly led her to quit music.[23] Duffy has said that she did not mind people illegally downloading her music because she believes most people who do are kids who cannot afford the CDs and will buy them when they get older.[84] Duffy recorded a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings' song "Live and Let Die". It was used on the War Child charity album titled War Child Heroes, Volume I.[85] Acclaim came from Paul McCartney, saying that Duffy's version "is great – I was really impressed".[86] Duffy and Bernard Butler wrote the song "Smoke Without Fire", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film An Education.[87]
Duffy's second album required her to slow her career.[12] In late January 2010 Rough Trade Management, who with Jeanette Lee had managed Duffy, announced that they and the singer had parted amicably. Duffy's new management stated that "the professional relationship between Duffy and Rough Trade management has run its course."[32] She is currently with A&M/Universal.[11] On 16 September 2010 Duffy announced the release of her second album, Endlessly. The album was recorded in New York, London and Spain[88] in the year prior to the announcement. Duffy formed a songwriting partnership with Albert Hammond for the record. Endlessly was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 2010 and placed at number 9 in the album charts of 5 December. The album's first single failed to achieve the success of previous singles, entering the UK charts at number 41 on 21 November.[89] Called "Well, Well, Well", the single features a rhythm section by United States hip hop group The Roots.[11][12][90]
2011–present: Hiatus, third studio album, and return to acting
Following the release of Endlessly it was confirmed that no more singles would be released from the album and in February 2011, it was announced that Duffy would take a two-year break from music before beginning work on her third album.[2] In July 2011, Duffy was sued by Angela Becker, the manager she had hired in 2010 to replace her ex-manager Jeanette Lee. Becker claims that she was hired in March 2010 and was fired in December 2010 but was supposed to remain Duffy's manager until the end of the promotion of Endlessly or alternatively four months after its initial release.[91]In August 2011, Duffy was scheduled to perform in Monaco for the Sporting Summer Festival, but cancelled and Melody Gardot was hired to replace her.[92] In October 2012, Duffy was announced as a performer for the Atelier Festival in Dubai but failed to appear and was declared a "no show" by the Dubai media.[93][94] In September 2013, Duffy gave her first live performance in three years during a tribute to Edith Piaf in New York City.[95]
In October 2011, producer and rapper David Banner announced that he and Duffy were to go in the studio for two weeks.[96] Albert Hammond announced in 2012 that he was working with Duffy.[97]
At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, it was announced that Duffy would return to acting with a starring role in the film Secret Love, and would contribute to its soundtrack.[98]
Artistry
Under the sub-title, "The New Amys", Adam Thompson wrote in The Times on 30 December 2007 that "Duffy, Estelle, Gabriella Cilmi and Adele lead the charge to be the next Winehouse. First sightings seem to indicate that they are all bright-eyed innocents with bags of talent – a familiar starting point, no?" She said at first she did not understand the comparisons to Dusty Springfield and believes the comparisons with others or putting her in a movement is "a gimmick" and noted that "nobody is replaceable".[56] Later some of Springfield's friends sought out and befriended Duffy. Duffy was quoted as saying they tell her she is much like Springfield and talk to her as if she were around during the 1960s.[99]Alison Goldfrapp said while Duffy has a great voice, she was trained to sound essentially like Amy Winehouse as part of a business plan, mistakenly believing that Duffy had attended the BRIT School.[100] Noel Gallagher of Oasis has a similar perspective.[101] By 2009, people had stopped referring to Duffy as the "New Amy" or "New Dusty" a prospect that is a "bit more frightening because before I had certain references but now it's just me on my own".[102] On 1 February 2009, The Times Encyclopedia of modern music named Rockferry an "Essential" Blue-eyed soul recording. Albums by Amy Winehouse and Adele were also named as essential Blue Eyed Soul recordings in the "recent" category.[103] At the 2009 Grammy Awards Adele during her acceptance speech said that "she loves Duffy and thinks that she is amazing".
Other projects
Since her fame, Duffy has endorsed several products. In August 2008, Duffy appeared in Fashion Rocks, supporting a new range of Nivea products.[104] Duffy has also appeared in various European television commercials endorsing the beverage Diet Coke. The campaign, showing Duffy cycling through a supermarket singing "I Gotta Be Me", was launched on British television station ITV, following the 2009 BRIT Awards, which saw Duffy take home three awards for her work.[105] Duffy was named as the "face" of the brand, alongside other famous women.[106][107] The advert went on to spark unexpected complaints about the health of children when it showed Duffy riding without protective gear, to the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority. However, these claims were ultimately rejected.[108]Duffy made her film debut playing the character of Sissy in the 2010 drama film Patagonia, directed by Marc Evans. Sissy's character is "a Welsh student who livens up the holiday of a young Argentinian man on a trip to Wales".[12][109] The film is about Welsh Argentines living in Y Wladfa, Patagonia. Patagonia premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on 10 June 2010,[110] and was released in October 2010.[111]
Personal life
Duffy dated Cheshire born Mark Durston [112] for over five years until November 2006. Duffy also lived in Abersoch with him.[113]In September 2008, Duffy mentioned that she was "on the borderline of a nervous breakdown" because of the pressure that fame has brought her. She also said that she had considered becoming a recluse, but eventually decided against the idea for the sake of her fans. Although acknowledging that most people do mean well, she finds it "scary" when people recognise her in the street, and has been fearful of her image possibly changing the person she truly is.[114][115]
Duffy's estimated fortune of £4 million placed her in 16th place in the 2009 Sunday Times listing of Great Britain's wealthiest young musicians.[116]
Duffy dated Welsh International rugby star Mike Phillips from September 2009[109] to May 2011.[117]
On 3 October 2012, Duffy escaped from a fire in the rented penthouse apartment in which she was living, in Kensington, London.[118]
Discography
Main article: Duffy discography
- Studio albums
See also
 |
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Duffy
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | "Anna Faris/Duffy" (Season 34, Episode 3) |
| 2010 | Patagonia | Sissy | Film debut |
| 2015 | Secret Love | Mel | Lead role |
References
- King, Martin (4 October 2012). "Singer Duffy flees as blaze rips through £12m Kensington penthouse, but makes sure pets are safe". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2012-10-04.
External links
 |
Media from Commons |
- Official website
- Duffy at AllMusic
- Duffy at BBC Wales
- Duffy discography at Discogs
- Duffy at the Internet Movie Database
- Duffy at NME
|
||
|
||
|
Categories:
- Duffy (singer)
- 1984 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Chester
- Blue-eyed soul singers
- Brit Award winners
- Grammy Award winners
- Ivor Novello Award winners
- Welsh people of English descent
- Welsh female singers
- Welsh pop singers
- Welsh singer-songwriters
- Welsh-speaking people
- Welsh film actresses
- People educated at College Merion-Dwyfor
- People from Bangor, Gwynedd
No comments:
Post a Comment