Few things bug the crap out of me as much as when the parents of celebrities try to profit off their kid’s fame. It’s tacky, often embarrassing, and rarely works out well in the end. In the case of Amy Winehouse, you could reasonably argue that she’s embarrassed herself to the point that her parents couldn’t add anything much worse. Personally, I beg to disagree. Amy’s dad/enabler, Mitch Winehouse, is set to release an album of Frank Sinatra covers. Expect a modified beehive and crack addiction to follow.

AMY WINEHOUSE’s father MITCH is reportedly set to follow his famous daughter into the music business by launching his own singing career.

The London taxi driver is planning to record an album of Frank Sinatra covers, as well as his own original songs in a bid to emulate the Back To Black star’s success, according to British tabloid The Sun.

A source tells the publication, “Mitch has been working on it for a while now. Amy always credits her dad with getting her into singing. He loves music . He has a good voice and wants a go at turning professional.”

[From Contact Music via Fark]

My first instinct is that it isn’t so much about Mitch wanting to go into music as it is about making some money. And the best way to do that is to profit off of Amy’s already well-established name. That said, he might have some legitimate talent. It’s rather late in life to start this kind of career, but how many of us wish we could still chase our big dreams? I suppose arguments could be made either way. I doubt it’s going to soar to the top of the charts, but the naive optimist in me can’t help but hope that this is perhaps a labor of love on Mitch’s part.

In other Winehouse news, yesterday Amy’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil revealed that she once almost died in his arms after they went on a three-day drug binge.

Here’s Mitch with Amy in London in March. Header from last week. Images thanks to WENN.com .