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 singer. She is famous for her disco and soul music. In 1979, her song "Knock on Wood" became a huge hit. Many people consider it a classic disco song. Amii Stewart also had other popular songs like "Light My Fire" (1979) and "Friends" (1985). She is related to other singers too. Her stepsister is actress and singer Miquel Brown. Miquel Brown's daughter, Sinitta, is also a singer.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Amy Stewart was the fifth of six children in her family. She grew up in a "fun loving, country style family." Her parents were very religious. When she was four years old, in 1960, her father signed her up for singing and dancing lessons. She later changed the spelling of her first name to Amii. This was because another Amy Stewart was already registered with a performers' group.
Amii briefly studied at Howard University in Washington. However, she soon left to join the Classical Repertory Dance Ensemble. There, she focused on ballet and modern dance.
In 1975, Amii Stewart started working in a musical show called Bubbling Brown Sugar. This show toured different cities. She moved to Miami, then to Broadway in New York City. Finally, she went to London's West End. In London, she met Barry Leng, a songwriter and record producer.
Music Success
Amii Stewart's first song was "You Really Touched My Heart." It was released in late 1977. Her first album came out in February 1979. This album included her famous song "Knock on Wood."
"Knock on Wood" was a disco version of an older song. It quickly became a number one hit in the U.S. in April 1979. This success earned her a special award called a platinum record. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award. The song was popular in Europe too, reaching high spots on the music charts.
Later that same year, she released another popular song. It was a mix of The Doors' song "Light My Fire" and "137 Disco Heaven." This song, called "Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven," also did well on the charts.
Changing Music Styles
By the end of the 1970s, disco music started to change. Some people in the U.S. music world began to dislike disco. They thought it was not real or creative enough. The music industry started looking for new 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. The music scene in Europe was different. It was more open to new and old music styles. Amii Stewart was confident about her career. She wanted to slowly change her music style. She planned to use her background in theater and dance for new inspiration.
In the mid-1980s, Amii Stewart moved to Italy. There, she released more successful songs. These included "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 Projects
Amii Stewart has continued to have an interesting career.
In the 1998 movie 54, an actress named Mary Griffin played Amii Stewart. She performed "Knock on Wood" in the movie. The actress wore a costume very similar to what Amii Stewart wore in her 1979 music video.
In 2000, Amii Stewart toured Italy. She played the role of Mary Magdalene in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. She performed alongside Carl Anderson, who played Judas Iscariot.
In 2004, Amii Stewart released an album called Lady Day. This album featured songs from a musical about the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday. Amii Stewart starred as Billie Holiday in the musical. She said she was inspired by Billie Holiday's voice and the music of the 1930s and 1940s. She felt that during that time, important steps were made for the rebirth of Black culture and world music.
Since 2001, Amii Stewart has been a goodwill ambassador for Unicef Italia. She works on projects like "United for the children, united against AIDS." In 2006, she recorded a charity song called "Love Song" for UNICEF. She sang it in four different languages. She also worked with the famous composer Ennio Morricone on this song. All the money from the single 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 called "Schiavo D'Amore" with Piero Mazzocchetti.
In 2014, she was on an Italian TV show called La Pista. She was the leader of 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 she has been "adopted" by Italy and has returned the affection she received.
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
