Whitney Houston as a child portrait

Name: Whitney Elizabeth Houston
Date of Birth : 9th August 1963
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey
Siblings: Brothers Michael and Gary (half brother)
Height : 5′ 8″
Religion: Baptist
Occupation: Singer/actress
Instruments: Piano
Nickname: Nippy, The Voice

Pardon my subjective attitude in certain moments, but we could say that this article is written by one of her many, many fans.

How strange are the ways of God… This R&B pop queen, the greatest singer of all times, with astonishing vocal abilities has first started singing in the local church at the age of 11 in Newark. Now, 37 years after, her last album is called I Look To You. Again you’ll see, God  and her religion had an important role in her life. She was no stranger to gospel, her voice was had the strength of it underneath. She’d brought a special energy into any song and you could feel that by the shudder on your skin.

Whitney Houston at first grade

As a child, Whitney was shy and polite but knew how to stand up for herself. She attended Roman Catholic girls high school Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell where she met one of he closest friends Robyn Crawford.

Her parents Emily(”Cissy”) and John Houston divorced at the her kindergarten age but had supported their youngest child in her singing career. Her mother, Grammy wining singer herself, had encouraged her and took her to her gigs.

After her few first solos in her childhood, Whitney sang backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. She also started modeling at the mid-teens but then at the age of 19 was spotted by American record producer and music industry executive Clive Davis who had recognized this diva who at her very beginning knew how to control the stage. This is when he realized that before showing her to the world, all must be prepared perfectly.

Whitney Houston in her high school days

Whitney Houston's first album released in 1985

Whitney receiving one of her many awards

Whitney Houston's first Grammy award in 1986!

Clive Davis had teamed Whitney with professionals who had helped her form her first collection, supplying best songs for her and that included the most prestigious song-writers.

After launching her career in 1984 in a duet with  Pendergrass on the hit single “Hold Me” she came to the public attention for the first time and with a boom.

Ever since then her music and talent has been planetary popular. On both sides of the Atlantic.

She presented herself with “You Give Good Love” and “Saving All My Love For You” but she won the first Grammy Award thanks to “Saving All My Love For You” for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance on Feb 25, 1986.

She just kept on receiving awards for her awesome music and voice.

1986 How Will I Know, Greatest Love Of All, 1987 I Wonna Dance With Somebody, Run To You, 1992 I will Always Love You, I Look To You  brought her 11 Billboard Hot NO.1 singles in USA and 4 UK Billboard Hot NO.1.

• She sold over 120 million albums and 49 million singles world-wide.

• Only one album, The Bodyguard, was sold in 34 million copies

• Only one single, I Will Always Love You was sold in 8 million copies.

Whitney Houston awarded with another Grammy in 1986.

In her career, there are more than 400 awards and more than 500 nominations. These, and many other achievements puts her in most awarded female artists of all times.

She was his diva! Clive Davis had believed in her from the day one he heard her singing. Who wouldn’t!? She sounded heavenly.

They’ve been friends ever since they started working together. He was always there to support, advise and comfort her and was always ready to work with her.

With him, and of course many others, Whitney Houston became(according to Guinness World Records) the most awarded female figure of all times.

This famous pop princess also proved to have a great acting talent in her first movie, The Bodyguard, released in 1992, where she played Rachel Marron, also a singing star, who hires a bodyguard(Kevin  Costner) to protect her from a creepy fan who stalked her. Movie was planetary popular and successful. By the end of 1992, it had scored $200 million worldwide, and it went on to become the 5th biggest grossing film ever!! ($500 million).  After movie premiere, media along with her fans waited patiently to hear was there or will there be anything ‘’more’’ then work between Whitney and Kevin Costner, who was mega popular at that time, but nothing ever happened.

Not only the movie got to be so triumphant, but the 6 soundtracks from the movie Whitney recorded, including the outrageously successful ‘I Will Always Love You’ written by Dolly Parton.

She appeared in three other movies but also had a lot of other offers she didn’t take.

• Waiting To Exhale(1995)
• The Preacher’s Wife(1996)
• Cinderella (1998)

During her spectacular career, except the time spent in studio, appearing in numerous talk shows, performing on regional and worldwide tours she had always found the time for charity work.

Whitney Houston Foundation for Children was formed by Whitney. It was an organization that took care for the homeless and children with cancer and AIDS. She again received one of her many awards for her humanitarian work, as of course did Whitney’s involvement with the United Negro College Fund.

Although she had a beautiful, shiny and successful career, her life wasn’t so nice privately.  Her drug abuse problems began after she met Bobby Brown in 1989. They dated for couple of years and got married on July 18, 1992. Their only child is a girl Bobbi Kristina, born on March 4th, 1993. Three years after she suffered a miscarriage, which took place in Texas, just a few days after she revealed she was pregnant for the second time. She had a troubled and stormy marriage to Bobby Brown cause of his bad temper. He used to publicly humiliate her, spit on her in front of their friends, family and unfortunately their daughter.  He got arrested for drugs and alcohol.

Under the influence of Bobby, Whitney herself had visited rehab several times for cocaine, marijuana and alcohol abuse. Accusations from both sides were launched trough media about who got who into these problems. (I believe it’s Bobbys fault )

On April 2007, Whitney filed for divorce and got the custody over their teenage daughter who today has some similar drug issues. Her ex-boyfriend photographed her snorting cocaine, after which Whitney sent her to rehab as well.

I Look To You…

Her last album that was released on August 28th, 2009, was Whitney’s comeback album.

Her seventh album contains great songs, written by great artists like Alicia Keyes, Akon and R.Kelly who btw wrote this song, but it is obvious that her vocal abilities were not like those we would have expected.

Album is solid, although we’re not use to solid when it comes to Whitney Houston. Her former addiction affected her voice and have finally damaged it. She still refuses to let go of smoking cigarettes, according to unofficial sources.

Financially, album was very successful, although some fans weren’t pleased with her performance on certain tours but then again there were other fans who were satisfied with it and are thrilled to have the legend back.

Album is named after a song which is helping her explain all she’s been trough and how weak she was until she found out her own strength, thanks to her faith.

Whitney is one of those artists that can interpret songs so good that she makes you believe that all she sings about actually did happen to her, well it’s a fact as far as this album is concerned.

And on the very end, I could just add that I’m one of those people who hope to have her again with us for as long as it’s possible to knock us off our feet with her appearance and sound of her voice.

Whitney’s quotes:

• ”I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow; if I fail, or if I succeed at least I did as I believe.”
• ”God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?”
• I finally faced the fact that it isn’t a crime not having friends. Being alone means you have fewer problems.
• I like being a woman, even in a man’s world. After all, men can’t wear dresses, but we can wear the pants.

One and only, Whitney Houston… R.I.P.

Filed under: Celebrities Then And Now | Tags: Acting, Music, Whitney Houston | (5 votes, average: 5.00)
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