While Amy Winehouse's life is another tragedy in the annals of rock'n roll music history, the music she created brought joy to her fanbase. 

And that joy is being revived by Canadian singer Heidi Munro, who is bringing her tribute show to the British singer to three Okanagan venues this month.

Titled Back To Black, The Passion of Amy Winehouse, the show is billed as "a celebration of a gifted and raw artist in the truest form."

While Munro has always been intrigued by Winehouse's life story, she also gained an appreciation for her cutting-edge approach to music, whether it be singing cover songs or her original material. 

"She had a freedom when it came to performing her music where many other artists tend to conform a little bit," Munro said.

"There is a lot to be learned about her tragic story, but her music was absolutely phenomenal and the world needs to hear more about that and not just about her life being cut so short."

Winehouse sold more than 30 million records worldwide, known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres she engaged in, from soul and rhythm and blues to reggae and jazz. 

Winehouse struggled throughout her life with substance abuse, mental illness and addiction. She died at her home in London, England, in 2011 at the age of 27.

VH1 ranked Winehouse 26th on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music, and her life story was dramatized in the 2024 biopic, Back to Black. 

Munro looks upon Winehouse's life story as it encapsulates the pressures of the rock'n roll circus, where the pressures of being pulled in many different directions proved to be too overwhelming to deal with. 

"It just got to be too much, being pulled in so many different directions, so people in that situation start to self-medicate. It might be drugs or alcohol or a lot of other things...it just becomes too much for any one person to handle." 

Munro says while she has captured her distinctive look and stage appearance, she does not advertise herself as a Winehouse impersonator.

"We both have the same vocal tone and sing in the same key, but for me, I am not trying to mimic or impersonate her. The question I always ask myself in putting this show together is and the end of the day, if she saw the show would she feel honoured by it," Munro said. 

Born and raised in the prairies where she started out in the music business as a country singer, Munro said the attraction for many to Winehouse's music is the musical songbook of her life embraced many music genres and eras going back to the 1950s. 

"Her music resonates with every age group of people, from seniors to high school kids. And she was intriguing and nostalgic, and people really like nostalgia these days," she said. 

Munro performed her Winehouse tribute in Penticton last summer, and the positive reaction she received made her think about coming back to B.C. on a more extended tour. 

Munro will bring her show to the Vernon Centre for the Performing Arts on Friday, Nov. 22; to Oliver's Venables Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 24; and to 琉璃神社 Community Theatre on Monday, Nov. 25. Showtimes are all 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online at .