Intern to record label boss: How I signed Amy Winehouse

Darcus Beese grew up in 1970s west London, the son of British Black Panthers and activists Darcus Howe and Barbara Beese. His unique upbringing was often chaotic, but Darcus found solace listening to music and collecting vinyl. A job sweeping up at a posh hairdressers shortly after leaving school thrust Darcus into the company of socialites and tastemakers in the TV and music industry. He learned how to network and make connections and this led him to a junior role at Island Records, world famous for signing artists like Bob Marley and Grace Jones.

Finding his calling in Island's A&R department, Darcus would spend weeks on the road, going to gigs and listening to demo tapes, all in the cause of discovering the next big thing. His work paid off as he rose through the ranks nurturing talent and creating hits with acts like the British pop group Sugarbabes and singer Taio Cruz among many more. But everything changed when he was played an early demo of north London jazz singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. Together they went on to score huge international success, winning multiple Grammy awards with Amy's iconic music. In 2011 the music stopped; Amy was found dead at her London home. Darcus tells Mobeen Azhar how he remembers Amy and how he found a new start, becoming CEO of Island's operations in the US. Although successfully signing artists like Sabrina Carpenter, turbulent events – the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd – made Darcus decide to exit the industry after three decades.

Darcus’ autobiography is called Rebel With a Cause: Roots, Records and Revolutions.

The Grammys archive is used courtesy of the Recording Academy®

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Tommy Dixon

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(Photo: Darcus Beese Credit: Eddie Otchere)

This programme was edited on 10/03/2025