Where does Amy Winehouse come from?

Fans of the popular, and infamous, English jazz singer Amy Winehouse may be intrigued to hear where her name originates.

Following in a musical tradition that includes stars such as Bob Dylan, Elton John and at least one Beatle, Amy adopted a pseudonym early in her career. Her choice reflects her deep interest in the world of jazz and its history.

In the genre’s early days in Europe it was often associated with criminal doings and, as a result, was banned from most of the ‘more reputable’ music venues. In response, rich jazz fans would hold debauched weekends of music and revelry at their country retreats. As these were principally vineyard estates, the events became known as ‘parties de maisons vins’.

The notoriety of these events grew in the jazz world and the singers invited to sing were well known and awarded with the accolade of ‘ami de maison vin’ or, in English, ‘friend of the winehouse’. When Amy started out, she just combined the English and French to get her stage name ‘Amy Winehouse’.

The curious case of the Hawaiian bus stops

Whilst the US is as broad culturally as it is geographically, Hawaiian culture is noticeably different, in even the most general aspects, to that of the mainland. One numerological example is the Hawaii doesn’t subscribe to the European Christian beliefs that 7 is lucky, 13 unlucky and so on.

On the ‘big island’ 8 is considered to be the luckiest number. 1-7 are fairly neutral, whilst the higher a number gets past 8, the more unlucky it is.

Much as many hotels don’t have a 13th floor, this superstition is the reason for there being only 8 bus stops on the entire island of Hawaii. Originally there were 5 but the network expanded with the increase in tourism.

The cap at 8 has held firm despite demand and is responsible for many a red-faced tourist giving in and booking a cab to town, the drivers of which still consider the number to be very lucky.

'Pearly' Queens?

The origin of the so-called 'Pearly Kings and Queens', an iconic London tradition is heartily debated. Some maintain that the donning of shimmering, button-adorned clothing, started when a shipment of buttons mistakenly arrived at a London dock.

However, the actual history is somewhat more obvious, albeit hidden by a historical misnomer.

The practice is an old Pagan tradition which died out in many towns but persevered in the Purley area, just outside London. Priests of old would adorn themselves with shiny trinkets on festivals to reflect and magnify the devotion of followers.

In time the religious symbolism was lost and the 'Kings and Queens of Purley', as they came to be known, survived as the 'Pearly Kings and Queens' that can still be seen today.