Amii Stewart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amii Stewart
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Amii Stewart at the Capri Film Festival, December 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amy Paulette Stewart |
| Born | January 29, 1956 |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels |
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Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer. She became very famous in 1979 with her song "Knock on Wood". This song was a number one hit in the U.S. and is still a classic disco song.
Amii Stewart also had other popular songs around the world. These include "Light My Fire" (1979) and "Friends" (1985). She is the stepsister of singer Miquel Brown. Amii is also the aunt of singer Sinitta.
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Amii Stewart's Music Career
Amy Stewart was born into a large, fun-loving family. She was the fifth of six children. Her father, Joseph Stewart II, enrolled her in singing and dancing lessons when she was just four years old.
She later changed the spelling of her first name to Amii. This was because another Amy Stewart was already registered with the Actors' Equity Association. She briefly studied at Howard University in Washington. However, she soon left to study ballet and modern dance. She joined the Classical Repertory Dance Ensemble (CRDE).
In 1975, Amii Stewart worked in a musical show called Bubbling Brown Sugar. This show toured different cities like Miami, New York City, and London. In London, she met Barry Leng, a songwriter and record producer.
Her first song, "You Really Touched My Heart," was released in late 1977. An album followed in February 1979. This album included her famous song "Knock on Wood."
Knock on Wood Success
Amii Stewart's first single was a disco version of "Knock on Wood". The original song was by Eddie Floyd. Amii's version became number one on the U.S. Billboard charts in April 1979. This earned her a platinum record and a Grammy Award nomination.
The song was also very popular in Europe. It reached number 6 in the UK and number 2 in Australia. Another song, a mix of The Doors' "Light My Fire" and "137 Disco Heaven," was also released that year. It reached number 5 in the UK and number 69 in the U.S.
New Music Styles
By the end of the 1970s, disco music started to change. People were looking for new music trends. Amii Stewart's album Paradise Bird, released in September 1979, was not as popular in the U.S. However, it was still very successful in Europe.
Europe's music scene was different. It was open to new ideas while still keeping older styles. Amii Stewart was confident about her career. She decided to slowly change her music style. She wanted to use her background in theater, modern dance, and melodic music as inspiration.
In the mid-1980s, Amii Stewart moved to Italy. There, she released the songs "Friends" and "Together". She worked with Italian musician Mike Francis on these songs. "Friends" became a big hit in the UK, Italy, and the Philippines.
Later Career and Other Work
In the 1998 movie 54, actress Mary Griffin played Amii Stewart. She performed "Knock on Wood" in the movie. Mary Griffin wore a similar fancy outfit to what Amii Stewart wore in her 1979 music video.
In 2000, Amii Stewart toured Italy. She played the part of Mary Magdalene in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
In 2004, Amii Stewart released the album Lady Day. This album included songs from a musical about the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday. Amii Stewart played Billie Holiday in the musical. She said she loved Billie Holiday's voice and the music of the 1930s and 1940s.
Since 2001, Amii Stewart has been a goodwill ambassador for Unicef Italia. She has worked on many projects to help children. One project was called "United for the children, united against AIDS." In 2006, she recorded a charity song called "Love Song" for UNICEF. She worked with Ennio Morricone on this song. All the money from the song went to UNICEF's "Check Out For Children" campaign.
In May 2007, Amii Stewart performed at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. She sang a duet with Piero Mazzocchetti.
In 2014, she was on the Italian TV show La Pista. She was the team leader for a dance group called "Virality." Amii Stewart and her team won the competition.
Amii Stewart has been greatly influenced by Italy. She has lived in Rome since the mid-1980s and speaks Italian very well. UNICEF Italia has said that "The one between Amii Stewart and Italy is a beautiful love story." They also noted that Italy has "adopted" her, and she has returned that affection.
Discography
- Knock on Wood (1979)
- Paradise Bird (1979)
- Images (1981)
- Amii Stewart (1983)
- Try Love (1984)
- Amii (1986)
- Time for Fantasy (1988)
- Pearls – Amii Stewart Sings Ennio Morricone (1990)
- Magic (1992)
- Lady to Ladies (1994)
- The Men I Love (1995)
- Love Affair (1996)
- Unstoppable (1999)
- Lady Day (2004)
- Caracciolo Street (2010)
- Intense (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Amii Stewart para niños
