Rome Ramirez pays tribute to Amy Winehouse with his cover of ‘Rehab’
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Since the death of Amy Winehouse on Saturday, outpourings of grief and tribute for the late British soul singer have taken on many forms. But few may have expected a fitting final salute from Sublime’s Rome Ramirez, who slapped on the shades and stepped to the mike to record his cover of “Rehab,” from Winehouse’s breakout album, “Back to Black.” It was uploaded to the Web on Sunday, and Ramirez posted a message under his YouTube video to accompany his stirring rendition.
“I recorded this tribute for Amy Winehouse after I heard the news of her passing,” Ramirez said. “She is a huge inspiration to my music. We miss you, Amy.”
On Monday, Ramirez posted another message on his Twitter account explaining his intentions for the song:
“I am not making no money off this. Nor do I ever plan to. Just a super fan who wanted to pay tribute. True fans know where I’m coming from.”
The 27-year-old Grammy-winning Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment Saturday. According to British reports, Winehouse was discovered by emergency workers at 3:54 p.m. London time. The singer, who rose to prominence with a soulful voice and a defiantly reckless attitude, had struggled with substance abuse for most of her professional life. It’s a heartache Sublime’s original members can sadly relate to.
It’s been 15 years since the Long Beach-based band’s original, iconic frontman Bradley Nowell died of a drug overdose at age 28. In 2009, the group re-emerged, with Ramirez taking over vocal and guitar duties for the band’s catalog of old and new songs. Sublime with Rome recently debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard’s Top 10 chart with its latest album, “Yours Truly,” selling 35,000 copies.
In addition to the emotional sentiment, Ramirez changed the verses of the song to add his own message to the fallen artist.
“Lonely cigar in a half-lit room, escaped the only life I knew. And to me, and to me it’s all a show. But there’s nothing more, no there’s nothing more that I can do. Never had no time to change. Lord so why start now, ‘cuz I’m in the fed.” Check out the rest of the song below.
Since Winehouse’s death, Ramirez hasn’t been the only one channeling a spirit of remembrance for departed musicians.
On Monday, M.I.A. unveiled her own original song to Winehouse and other musicians who died at the same fateful age. M.I.A. told followers on Twitter that the song, titled simply “27,” had been written months ago, but that the death of Winehouse inspired its sudden release. And rapper Big Boi dropped a remix of ‘Tears Dry on Their Own’ after Winehouse’s death.
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-- Nate Jackson
