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Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born on
August 9, 1963), is an American R&B/pop singer,
actress, former fashion model, record and film producer.
Houston is one of the most successful pop singers of all
time, having sold over 200 million records worldwide.
Her body of work includes ballads, dance-pop and urban
contemporary soul. She is well known for her vocal
power, control, range and coloratura soprano voice, thus
often being known by the title "The Voice".
Houston was one of the first African American artists to
find success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake. She
became the first artist to have seven consecutive U.S.
number-one singles, her 1992 Dolly Parton cover "I
Will Always Love You" (from the soundtrack of The
Bodyguard) became one of the biggest singles in music
history. She later branched out into acting and
eventually became a businesswoman, setting up production
and recording studios while continuing to record music.
In the 2000s, Houston's personal life
became the subject of controversy because of her
marriage to Bobby Brown allegations of drug abuse,
especially after repeated cancellations of public
appearances and erratic behaviour. Her record sales
during this period were modest. Houston has since
undergone a successful intense rehabilitation process
and is currently recording an album that will be
released in the fall of 2007.
Early life: Houston was born in Newark, New
Jersey to John and Cissy Houston. She was born and
raised Baptist but also exposed to the Pentecostal
church. She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high
school Mount Saint Dominic Academy.
Houston's mother (Cissy Houston), first cousin (Dionne
Warwick) and godmother (Aretha Franklin) are all notable
figures in gospel music, rhythm and blues and soul music
recordings. At the age of eleven, Houston began to
follow in their footsteps and started performing as a
soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope
Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
Music career:
Early years (1977–1984):
In 1977, Houston was featured as the lead vocalist on
the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a
Party" and Zager later offered to obtain a record
deal for her but she declined. She also sang background
vocals with her mother, Cissy Houston, for Chaka Khan's
hit single "Papillon (A.K.A. Hot Butterfly)"
in 1979, which was released on the album Naughty in
1980. In the early-1980s, she started appearing as a
fashion model in various magazine advertisements and
snagged the cover of Seventeen magazine and a Canada Dry
commercial. During these modeling years, she continued
to advance her singing career by working with producers
Michael Bienhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an
album they were spearheading called One Down, which was
credited to the group Material. It was planned to
contain eight songs, each one featuring a different lead
vocalist. Houston contributed the ballad
"Memories", which received favorable reviews
from The Village Voice when the album debuted.
Houston had been offered several record deals (from
Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981) and
in 1983 an A&R representative from Arista saw
Houston performing with her mother in a nightclub in New
York City. He convinced the head of the record label,
Clive Davis, to take time to see Houston singing at the
nightclub. Davis saw her perform and offered her a
worldwide contract, which Houston signed. Her debut
album took over two years to complete.[citation needed]
Before the release of her own debut album, Houston
recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled
"Hold Me", which first appeared on his album
Love Language. The single peaked in the top fifty on the
U.S. pop chart and the top five on the R&B chart,
and it later appeared on her debut album.
First releases and mainstream success (1985–1992):
Houston's self-titled 1985 debut album was initially a
slow seller until the success of its single "You
Give Good Love", which peaked inside the top five
on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up singles
"Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I
Know" and "Greatest Love of All" went to
number one on the pop chart, and Whitney Houston
eventually topped the album chart, giving her hits in
the U.S., United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia, and
Africa. The album sold over thirteen million copies at
its time of release (eight million of those in the
U.S.); for thirteen years, it was the best-selling debut
album by a female artist. To date, Houston's debut has
sold over thirteen million copies in the U.S. alone, and
twenty-four million copies worldwide.[citation needed]
Houston's first tour, the worldwide The Greatest Love
Tour, took place in 1986.
Houston set yet another record with the release of her
second album, Whitney (1987), which consisted mainly of
pop songs and followed in the steps of its predecessor.
It debuted at number one in various countries around the
world, including the U.S. and the UK, and in those two
countries she was the first female artist to accomplish
that feat. It sold twelve million copies worldwide on
release (eight million of those in the U.S.), championed
by such singles as "I Wanna Dance with Somebody
(Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It
All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do
Broken Hearts Go". These singles brought her total
of consecutive Hot 100 number-one hits to seven,
breaking the record of six previously shared by The
Beatles and The Bee Gees. Another song, "Love Will
Save the Day", hit the U.S. top ten. Houston
embarked on the worldwide The Moment of Truth tour. She
also recorded the theme song to the 1988 Olympics,
"One Moment in Time", which peaked at number
five in the U.S. and reached number one in the UK.
Houston's third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990),
featured singing and production collaborations with
Babyface, Stevie Wonder, and Luther Vandross and reached
number three on the U.S. Billboard 200. It did not sell
as highly as her first two albums, but sold well with
eight million copies moved worldwide at its time of
release (four million of those in the U.S.). The first
two singles, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and
"All the Man That I Need" went to number one
in the U.S., and "Miracle" went top ten.
"My Name Is Not Susan" was a top twenty hit
and "I Belong to You" became an R&B hit
only, peaking in the top ten on that chart. In 1991
Houston embarked I'm Your Baby Tonight Tour, which
Rolling Stone poll voters voted "Worst Tour of the
Year". When on tour, she and then boyfriend Bobby
Brown wrote the song "Something in Common",
which became a UK hit. The song examines two unlikely
people coming together as they found "something in
common".
Following the success of the film The Bodyguard, Houston
embarked on a worldwide tour in 1993; the tour concluded
in 1994 followed by a special concert in South Africa.
Houston's lip-synche performance of "The Star
Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991
was released as a single, reaching the top twenty on the
U.S. Hot 100 and making her the only artist to turn the
national anthem into a chart hit. Houston donated her
share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross. This
performance of the national anthem was named number one
in the NFL's 2003 list of Top 25 greatest moments in NFL
history.
Soundtrack recordings (1993–1997): Houston has
several chart successes with soundtracks to films in
which she has appeared.
The soundtrack to the film The Bodyguard has become the
second best-selling soundtrack album ever: current sales
stand at thirty seven million, with seventeen million of
those sold in the U.S. The album won "Album of the
Year" and "Record of the Year" at the
following Grammy Awards.
Houston recorded three songs for the Waiting to Exhale
soundtrack. As of January, 2006, sales stand at 5.1
million copies in the U.S; it is certified seven-times
platinum by the RIAA. The soundtrack holds the record as
the most Grammy Award-nominated album of all time.
Houston received three of them.
The soundtrack to The Preacher's Wife included Houston's
first gospel recordings. The album had sales of 2.5
million in the U.S. through January 2006, and it is
certified three-times platinum. It is the
highest-selling gospel album of all time.
Subsequent albums (1998–2001): My Love Is Your
Love (1998), Houston's fourth studio album, was
originally conceived as a greatest hits album with a
handful of new songs, but recording sessions produced
enough new material for a full-length album. Recorded
and mixed in only six weeks, My Love Is Your Love
received critical acclaim[citation needed] and sold
eleven million copies worldwide on release (four million
of those in the U.S.).[citation needed] Houston served
as one of the album's producers, and the album was more
R&B and hip-hop driven than past releases as she
collaborated with Wyclef Jean, Missy Elliott, Lauryn
Hill, and once again Babyface. First single, "When
You Believe", was a duet with Mariah Carey recorded
for the soundtrack to The Prince of Egypt; it reached
the U.S. top twenty and won an Academy Award. Next
singles "Heartbreak Hotel" (featuring Faith
Evans and Kelly Price), "It's Not Right but It's
Okay" (which won Houston her sixth Grammy Award)
and "My Love Is Your Love" reached the U.S.
top five. Another single, "I Learned from the
Best" peaking inside the top forty. All singles
except "When You Believe" became number-one
dance hits, continuing Houston's presence on the U.S.
club scene. Before the successful My Love Is Your Love
World Tour, she performed on the VH1 Diva's Live '99
special with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner,
Cher, and Chaka Khan. Current sales of the album in the
U.S. are at 2.7 million.
The album and DVD Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000)
reached the U.S. top five, with two weeks spent at
number one on the UK chart. Many of the past uptempo
songs were remixed to house music and dancefloor-ready
songs, while the ballads were left unchanged. The DVD
features music videos of past hits as well as actual
live performances, interviews, and special features. The
compilation also includes a previous unreleased duet
with Jermaine Jackson, and new duets with Enrique
Iglesias ("Could I Have This Kiss Forever"),
George Michael ("If I Told You That") and
Deborah Cox ("Same Script, Different Cast").
The album was a success, selling 1.5 million copies in
the U.S.,and it is certified three-times platinum.
Just Whitney (2001–2005): In August 2001,
Houston signed the biggest record deal in history with
Arista/BMG: She renewed her contract (worth $100
million) to deliver six new albums on which she would
also earn royalties. Two months later, Houston
re-released her version of "The Star Spangled
Banner" after the September 11th attacks. It
reached the U.S. top ten, achieving platinum status, and
its proceeds were donated to a relief fund.
Just Whitney (2002), Houston's fifth studio album,
featured collaborations with then-husband Bobby Brown,
as well as Missy Elliott, and the ten song collection
saw Houston incorporate pop, hip-hop, R&B, rock, and
dance. The album received mixed reviews on release[9]
and landed in the U.S. top ten, but it failed to reach
the top seventy-five in the UK. The singles
"Whatchulookinat" (co-written by Houston),
"One of Those Days" and "Try It on My
Own" were not top forty hits on the U.S. Hot 100,
but remixes of "Whatchulookinat", "Try It
on My Own" and "Love That Man" became
hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart.
Current sales of the album are at 731,000 in the U.S.
One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003) was a specialty album
and her sixth studio album, and it consisted of covers
of Christmas songs such as "Noel" (The First
Noel), "Deck the Halls/Silent Night" and
"Little Drummer Boy" featuring daughter Bobbi
Kristina. The single "One Wish (for
Christmas)" (a cover of the Freddie Jackson song)
reached the top twenty on Billboard's Adult Contemporary
chart, but the album itself failed to achieve gold
status in the U.S., Houston's first studio album not to
do so, and it sold just 348,000 copies.
In 2004, Houston embarked on an international tour, the
Soul Divas tour with Natalie Cole and cousin Dionne
Warwick in Europe, before embarking on solo dates in the
Middle East, Russia, and Asia. In September 2004 she
made a surprise performance at the World Music Awards,
in tribute to long time friend Clive Davis.
Current/anticipated career activity (2006–present):
Whitney Houston attended the Carousel of Hope Ball in
October 2006, where Katherine McPhee dedicated a
performance of Houston's "I Have Nothing" to
her. Clive Davis said at the ball that he and Houston
"are getting our things together, and we are going
to make a killer, killer album".
Houston was featured on the song "Family
First" from the soundtrack of the 2007 film Tyler
Perry's Daddy's Little Girls. The song also featured
Houston's mother Cissy Houston, Houston's cousin Dionne
Warwick, Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina, and most of
her other relatives.
Houston started recording a new album in LA mid-March
2007.[citation needed] Houston started recording with
Johnta Austin. Clive Davis said in an interview that he
would like Houston to record the song "I Look to
You", written by R. Kelly, and predicted that song
would make the comeback. Davis has made it clear that
this will be a Whitney Houston album, focusing on her,
and less on "flavor of the moment" sounds.
Film and television career: During the 1980s, as
Houston was working on launching a music career, she
auditioned for acting roles, including the part of
Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which was won by
Sabrina Le Beauf. Houston acted on episodes of Gimme a
Break with Nell Carter and Silver Spoons with Rick
Schroder before her debut album was released.
Houston's first film role was in The Bodyguard released
in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. The film was
successful at the box office, grossing more than $121
million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide. Reviews,
however, were mixed, and Houston received two Razzie
Award nominations.
In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett,
Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in the film Waiting to
Exhale, about four African-American women struggling
with relationships. The film grossed $67 million in the
U.S. and $82 million worldwide. In the 1996 film The
Preacher's Wife, Houston starred with Denzel Washington.
It grossed nearly $50 million in the U.S. and $70
million worldwide.
In 1997, she co-produced and starred in (along with
Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette
Peters) a made-for-television remake of Rodgers &
Hammerstein's Cinderella. Airing in November 1997 via
ABC, the film attracted more than sixty million U.S.
viewers and won an Emmy Award.
Houston has served as a producer or executive producer
on other films, including the Disney comedy The Princess
Diaries, starring Anne Hathaway and Dame Julie Andrews.
The film grossed more than $100 million at the U.S. box
office, and her production company Brownhouse received a
percentage of the profits..[citation needed] Houston
served as one of the producers on three other projects
for Disney: the 2003 television film The Cheetah Girls
(starring Raven-Symone) and the sequel The Princess
Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which grossed more than $90
million at the U.S. box office. In May 2006, Houston
also was an executive producer for The Cheetah Girls
sequel The Cheetah Girls 2: When in Spain.
In 2005, Houston co-starred in her then-husband's
reality TV program Being Bobby Brown, which provided a
view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household.
The show was a ratings success.
Personal problems, Drug and health issues:
Shortly before the release of Whitney: The Greatest Hits
in April 2000, airport security discovered marijuana in
Houston and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaiian
airport, but they boarded the plane and departed before
police could arrive. Charges were later dropped against
her and Brown but other rumors about drug use developed
around the couple, and Houston became well known in the
industry for canceling appearances. Shortly before the
December 2002 release of Just Whitney, Houston gave an
interview with Diane Sawyer where she discussed drug
allegations and marital issues. She denied using crack
cocaine, stating that "crack is wack", and
suggested the power of prayer had kept temptation at
bay. Houston entered drug rehabilitation facilities in
March 2004 and again in March 2005.
In addition to the allegations about drug abuse,
Houston's appearance has led to speculation that she was
anorexic, had an eating disorder, or experienced weight
loss in conjunction with the drug usage. In particular,
Houston's appearance at the 30th anniversary concert for
singer Michael Jackson elicited a strong response.
John Houston dispute: Houston became involved in
a dispute with her father, John Houston. In 2002, John
Houston's company sued his daughter for $100 million,
stating that they owed the money for helping to guide
her career, as well as helping Houston manage the
controversies surrounding her career. Both of them
appeared on television and disputed the other's claims.
John Houston died in February 2003.
Financial problems: On January 3, 2007, the New
York Post reported that "in an embarrassing
financial scare last year, Houston. . .nearly lost her
spectacular $6 million, 10-acre estate in Morris County
because she owed tens of thousands of dollars in back
taxes." The article then went on to detail how
Houston was selling hundreds of her famous stage outfits
and accessories at an auction, including intimate
undergarments, in "an event that could earn her
hundreds of thousands of dollars in welcome cash."
The Toronto Star newspaper reported on
January 4, 2007, that the items were being sold "in
an effort to cover unpaid storage fees." Reuters
reported on that same date that Houston was "being
forced to sell off clothes, instruments and sound
equipment to pay a debt to a warehouse storing the
items" and that the sale "has been ordered by
the New Jersey Superior Court."
Houston lost her Atlanta estate in a foreclosure sale in
November 2006 because mortgage payments were in arrears.
On November 16, 2006, the Associated Press reported that
Houston's mansion in Mendham, New Jersey, currently
assessed at $5.6 million, was due to be sold at a
sheriff's sale in January 2007 because of more than $1
million in unpaid mortgage payments and taxes.
Family life: Houston was married R&B singer
Bobby Brown in 1992. On March 4, 1993 she gave birth to
the couple's first child, daughter Bobbi Kristina
Houston Brown.
In September 2006, it was reported that the couple were
in the process of their going through divorce. Houston
filed legal papers to initiate the process, but there
are conflicting reports as to what occurred. According
to publicist Nancy Seltzer, Houston filed for divorce
from Brown on September 8 2006. However, Brown's lawyer,
Phaedra Parks, indicated that the action was a legal
separation, and not a petition for divorce. Parks
indicated that in the separation papers, Houston
requested custody of the couple's daughter, and
requested that any property litigation be postponed
until a later date.
The separation progressed to divorce,
however, which was filed October 16, 2006. Houston hired
attorney Stephen Kolodny, who has represented many
celebrities in their divorce trials. On February 1, 2007
Whitney asked the court to fast track their divorce.
Houston was also granted custody of their daughter. The
divorce became final on April 24, 2007. |
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