Whitney Houston was an American actor and singer whose the first four albums, which were that were released in the years 1985 to 1992 have sold worldwide in more than 85 million copies.
Who Was Whitney Houston?
Whitney Houston released her debut album at the age of 22 and had three No. 1 singles. Whitney (1987) gave four No. 1s, and also earned Houston the Grammy for her work, and subsequent albums like I’m Your Baby Tonight (1990) and My Love Is Your Love (1998) and soundtracks for The Bodyguard (1992) and Waiting to Exhale (1995). When she got married with singer Bobby Brown in 1992, and the subsequent use of drugs her career fell off the track. Her return came with the release of 2009’s I’m Looking to Youand she also appeared in the film musical Sparkle. Houston passed away from drowning in an hotel in February in 2012.
Early Years
Born on the 9th of August 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, Houston almost seemed destined from birth to be a performer. Her parents and her cousin were legendary icons in American gospel and soul music, as well as pop. Cissy Houston served as the choir director of New Hope Baptist Church, and it was here that the young Houston started her career. When she was a kid, Houston was able to amaze audiences. She later said to Diane Sawyer that a rapturous response from the church’s congregation in New Hope had a powerful influence on Houston: “I think I knew then that [my singing ability] was an infectious thing that God had given me.”
At the age of fifteen, Houston was frequently performing with her mom and looking to sign an album deal for herself. At the same time she was spotted by an artist who was impressed by her stunning beauty. She quickly became a highly sought-after model for teens, and one of the very first African American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine. But music was her main passion.
At the age of 19, Houston got noticed in an evening club by Arista Records’ Clive Davis who immediately signed her and took charge of her career, as she climbed between gospel and pop superstardom. When she was in 1983, Houston was first seen on national television, performing in the Merv Griffin Show to perform “Home” from the musical The Wiz.
Albums and Whitney Houston Songs
‘Whitney Houston’ Album: “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know”
It was in 1985 that the singer launched her first album Whitney Houston and quickly became an instant pop star. In the following year, her smash songs “Saving All My Love for You” and “How Will I Know” helped her album climb to at the peak of charts and stayed there for 14 consecutive weeks. Houston received an Grammy in the year 1986 with “Saving All My Love for You” and the prize was handed out to the singer from her mother Dionne Warwick.
‘Whitney’ Album: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
Houston was the follow-up to the huge success of her debut album with a new album, Whitney, in 1987. The album was also certified platinum several times and was awarded an Grammy for her hit song “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” which was followed by a worldwide tour that followed. In the course of this tour she also performed at a show to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday. He also established The Whitney Houston Foundation for Children which is a non-profit foundation that provides grants to poor children around the world.
In the year 1992 Houston seemed to be on the forefront of pop culture, however her life was going to become very complicated quickly. The year in question was when she married R&B artist Bobby Brown, former member New Edition’s singer New Edition, after a three-year relationship. The marriage at first was loving and passionate however, things began to turn negative as time went on. The couple Brown and Houston were battling addiction and increasingly unpredictable behavior and behavior, with Houston later alluded to emotional abuse by Brown or domestic violence.
The Bodyguard’ Album: ‘I Will Always Love You’
Despite the growing personal problems, Houston continued to progress in her career. She crossed over to acting in 1992, when she appeared alongside Kevin Costner in the hugely popular film The Bodyguard. Through this film she established a pattern for her movies to follow for each film she released hit singles, generating record-breaking revenue for soundtracks.
The smash single in the film The Bodyguard which was an original cover to Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” from 1974, was the biggest Houston hit to date with record-breaking 14 weeks on top of charts in the U.S. charts. The album’s soundtrack was a huge success, winning Houston three Grammys which included Best Album as well as record of the year. In the later years in the 90s, Houston also starred in Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife and both were supported by smash soundtracks too.
My Love Is Your Love’ Album: ‘It’s Not Right But It’s Okay’
It was 1998 when Houston came out with “My Love is Your Love” Her first non-soundtrack studio album in many years. In addition, it won her another Grammy for her track “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” The album wasn’t as popular as her previous full-length albums however, the collaboration she had alongside Mariah Carey in the animated film The Prince of Egypt produced a popular track, “When You Believe,” that was nominated for one Academy Award.
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Just Whitney’ Album
When production started in the TV reality show The Real Bobby Brown, Houston was given significant time on the air. The show aired during the most difficult times of the couple’s falling relationship; drugs excessive lifestyle and bad conduct were all captured on film and Houston’s image was ruined to new levels. Houston attempted to ignore the controversyand continue in her music and the release of her debut album, Just Whitney… to ward off her critics However, it didn’t compare to the success of her earlier albums. Despite her rocky affair, Houston was still celebrated for her singing talent, and was awarded the highest-rated female artist ever in the history of Guinness World Records in 2006.
‘I Look to You’ Album
After 10 years of grappling with their personal lives, Houston seemed to be getting herself back together. Houston released a fresh album in 2009, I Look To You, in 2009. “The songs themselves will speak to you and you’ll understand where I am and some of the changes I’ve gone through for the better,” Houston said on Entertainment Tonight. The album was received with a warm reception from fans of music, making it onto the top of the album charts. Live shows however, were met with mixed reviews with some criticizing how her vocals sound.
Death
In the early months of the year 2012 Houston has been whispered to have financial difficulties however, she denied the assertion. In reality, the singer appeared ready for a rise in her career: Houston worked on the musical film Sparkle with Jordin Sparks, a re-make of the film of 1976 that was about a female-only group that was similar to The Supremes and was reportedly approached to participate in the singing competition show The X Factor as judge. But, unfortunately, Houston did not live enough to see the latest comeback come to its full potential.
Houston passed away in the year 1948 on the 11th of February 2012 in Los Angeles at a Beverly Hilton hotel where a Grammy event was being hosted by Davis. Houston was often seen in the days leading up to her death, which included in one of the pre-Grammy events.
Daughter Bobbi Kristina
Daughter Bobbi Kristina was battling a lot of anxiety following the loss from her maternal grandmother. She was immediately hospitalized following the death of Houston because of emotional trauma, but she later , she spoke to Winfrey about going back to her mother’s home , and being able to feel her mother’s presence. Houston gave all of her belongings to daughter however, the singer’s sister-in law Pat Houston became the executor of the estate.
Bobbi Kristina had public conflicts with her grandmother, Cissy, over the publication in the Houston biography Recollecting Whitney. In the beginning of 2014 the actress was said to be engaged with Nick Gordon, who had been taken in by Houston throughout his childhood and raised by Bobbi Kristina. However, later reports indicated that they were not legally married. In another dispute she made snide remarks on Twitter regarding Angela Bassett after the director/actress decided to choose a trained actress in her lead character in the Houston biopic rather than Bobbi Kristina.
On the 31st of January of 2015, which was nearly three years prior to the day of her mother’s passing, Bobbi Kristina was discovered lying face-down in the bath tub in the bathroom of her Roswell, Georgia, home by an associate Max Lomas. After being taken at North Fulton Hospital, she was later transported by ambulance to Emory University Hospital, having been placed in a medically induced condition known as a coma.
Documentary
Supported with the support of the Houston estate The film Whitney was released in July 2018 with Houston’s sister-in law, Pat, serving as the executive producer.
“Everyone who has a story has some kind of story. This is her story, and it’s being told in this documentary.” Pat Houston told Good Morning America a few weeks prior to the release of the film. “She recorded a lot of the story herself. It’s her life and the way her family would view it, and her friends, who had to deal with the issue every day.”
