Amy Winehouse: Back to Black Britain's Biggest Seller of the Century!

In the weeks since her death, fans have flocked to the singer's powerhouse second album and the bold, memorable soul-stirring music she made with producer Mark Ronson

By Erik Pedersen, Marianne Garvey Aug 24, 2011 11:21 PMTags
Amy Winehouse, Fred PerryFred Perry

Amy Winehouse's Back to Black keeps coming back.

In the weeks since the singer's death, fans have flocked to the singer's powerhouse second album and the bold, memorable soul-stirring music she made with producer Mark Ronson.

How much so? Read on...

The album, the last full disc recorded by the "Rehab" singer, has become the best-selling album in England in the 21st century, according to Britain's Official Charts Company, which tracks the sales of music in the U.K.

The previous title-holder had been James Blunt's 2005 debut album, Back to Bedlam.

In what you could call Black's silver lining to the singer's sad end, Winehouse's disc rose to the No.1 spot shortly after she was found dead in her North London home last month, but the latest figures set an all-time record.

Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts for Billboard, explained previously to E! Online's Answer Bitch his reasoning for the sudden rise in Winehouse music purchases on iTunes. 

"A lot of it has to do with people just discovering who an artist is," Caulfield says. "It's an ironic twist that many people don't learn of an artist until that artist passes away."

Others, he added, purchased Winehouse's music as a memorial to the singer, who will also be remembered by her "Body and Soul" duet partner Tony Bennett at this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards.

Reportedly, much more material by Winehouse still remains unheard and as-yet unknown to fans. She also leaves behind a fortune estimated between $15 million and $30 million. 

And, of course, Back to Black.