Amy Paulette Stewart, also known as Amii Stewart, was born on January 29, 1956, and has since become a highly acclaimed American artist, celebrated for her impressive talents in both singing and dancing.
As the esteemed stepsister of the accomplished actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's talented actress-singer daughter Sinitta, Stewart's musical odyssey commenced at a remarkably early stage in her life. Hailing from a large, vibrant, and country-inspired family, her father, Joseph Stewart II, took the initiative to enroll her in singing and dancing lessons at the tender age of four, thus laying the foundation for her future endeavors in the world of music.
Stewart's formative years were characterized by a relatively short-lived sojourn at Howard University in the nation's capital, Washington, before she proceeded to enroll in the prestigious Classical Repertory Dance Ensemble, a renowned institution dedicated to the pursuit of ballet and modern dance.
In the year 1975, Stewart's path crossed with Barry Leng, a talented songwriter and record producer for Hansa Records, whose significant influence would soon be felt in her music career. This serendipitous encounter would ultimately lead to the creation of her first recorded song, "You Really Touched My Heart", a Leng/Simon May composition masterfully produced by Leng himself, which was released to the public in 1977.
Stewart's major-label debut single, a disco reworking of Eddie Floyd's 1966 song "Knock on Wood", catapulted to the top of the U.S. Billboard single charts in April 1979, garnering her a platinum record and a prestigious Grammy Award nomination. This chart-topping success was not limited to the United States alone, as the song also dominated the charts across Europe, claiming the number one spot, while also reaching a remarkable #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia.
