Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born August 9th 1963. She was an American singer, an actress, a producer and a model. In 2009 she received a citation from Guinness World Records for the most awarded female act of all time. Whitney as many knew her sold an estimated 170 to 200 million records world-wide. During her life time she released seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums all of which have diamond, multi platinum or gold certification. Her first video "How Will I Know" started her robust career and influenced several African American women artist who followed her footsteps.

Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits. She is the only woman to have two number one Billboard 200 Album awards on the Billboard magazine year end charts. Whitney not only sang but acted as well. Her first acting role was as the star of the feature film Bodyguard. The lead single song "I will always love you" won the grammy award for Record of the Year. Other Movies included Waiting to Exhale, and The Preachers Wife.

Whitney Houston started life in a middle income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. The daughter of a serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston Jr. Her mother "Cissy" Houston was a gospel singer. Whitney's brother is a singer and her older half brother was a former basketball player.


On February 11, 2012 Houston was found dead in her guest room at Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California Closely related to the stars Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Stars Darlene Love was her godmother and Aretha Franklin was her honorary aunt. 

Whitney was raised a Baptist but also often visited the Pentecostal church. Whitney Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. It was also there that she learned to play the piano. She was often exposed to stars such as Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack. These stars would influence Whitney on becoming a singer. 

Cissy Houston often sang at nightclubs and at times Whitney would get on stage and sing as well. In 1977 at the age of 14 Whitney would become backup singer for Michael Zager "Life's a Party". A few years later Whitney would start working as a fashion model. A photographer saw her singing with her mother. Houston would appear in Seventeen magazine and become one of the first women of color to grace the cover. Magazines Glamour, Cosmpolitan, and Young Miss would also feature Whitney. 

Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), but her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school.^[25][31] In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista's head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis was impressed and immediately offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on The Merv Griffin Show.^[32]

In 1983 Whitney Houston would sign with Arista to work on her first album. Her career would take off. It is very sad to me that she did not live longer than she did. They say the good die young With all the world that she had there was also bad things there as well and somehow Whitney found a few of the evils along the way. She inspired me to always do it my way and never give up for the greatest love is always inside of me.

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