Whitney Houston Biography

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Whitney Houston extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Whitney Houston
Background information
Birth name	Whitney Elizabeth Houston
Born	August 9, 1963 (1963-08-09) (age 45) Newark, New Jersey, United States
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress, film producer, model
Instrument(s)	Singing, piano
Voice type(s)	Mezzo soprano1
Years active	1977–present
Label(s)	Arista
Associated acts	Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Cece Winans, Bobbi Kristina Brown
Website	www.whitneyhouston.com

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American singer, song writer, actress, record producer, film producer, and former fashion model. Houston rose to international fame in the mid-1980s and her crossover success opened doors for many other African American women to find success in pop music and movies.²³ She is frequently referred to as "The Voice"⁴⁵, and is known for her "powerful, penetrating pop-gospel voice".

In the 1980s, Houston was one of the first African-American female artists to receive heavy rotation on MTV in its early years, when the network was leaning more towards a white male rock dominated format.⁶⁷ Her debut album became the biggest selling debut album of all time for a solo artist, her follow up album was the first album by a female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, and she holds a record seven consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, beating a record of six held previously by both The Beatles and The Bee Gees.

Houston continued her success into Hollywood in the 1990s, starting with the box office hit The Bodyguard. The soundtrack to the movie is the best-selling soundtrack of all time, and the single "I Will Always Love You" the best-selling single by a female artist and 6th best-selling song in the history of music.⁸ She continued the decade with other successful and culturally significant projects before returning to the studio. Houston is the fourth best-selling female recording artist in the U.S according to the RIAA,⁹ and is the "The Most Awarded Female Artist of All Time"¹⁰ according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

After Houston married former R&B singer Bobby Brown at the height of her career, rumors of drug abuse started to affect her popularity. This led to a decline in her public image and her album sales dropped during the 2000s. Her personal troubles and erratic behavior became more talked about than any of her music, with stories regularly appearing in the tabloid press. After successful trips to rehab, Houston divorced Brown and gained custody of their only daughter in 2006. She has since been working on her seventh studio album.¹¹

Contents 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 Early career: 1977–1984 2.2 Debut: 1985–1986 2.3 Continued success: 1987–1991 2.4 Hollywood and recording success: 1992–1997 2.5 Studio Albums: 1998–2001 2.6 Professional Struggles: 2002–2005 2.7 New beginnings: 2006–present 3 Film and television career 4 Personal life 4.1 Marriage and Divorce 4.2 Substances 4.3 Legal Disputes 5 Philanthropy 6 Awards 7 Discography 7.1 Studio Albums 7.2 Soundtracks 7.3 Compilations 7.4 Videos/DVDs 8 Filmography 9 Tours 10 Further reading 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

Early life

Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey. She has two older brothers and is the third and youngest child of John and gospel singer Cissy Houston.¹² Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin are all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, and soul genres. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle class area in East Orange, New Jersey when she was four.¹² Her mother would periodically tour with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin as a backup singer. At the age of eleven, Houston began following in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano.¹³ Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, her parents divorced and she continued to live with her mother. She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robin Crawford, whom she describes as the "sister she never had." Crawford would later become Houston's personal assistant for several years. While Houston was still in school, she would continue to be surrounded by music from her mother, cousin Dionne Warwick, and close family friend Aretha Franklin, all of which would have an impact on her as a musician and performer.¹⁴

Music career

Early career: 1977–1984

Houston spent some of her teenage years occasionally touring night clubs with her mother when Cissy was performing. In 1977, at fourteen years of age, Whitney was featured vocalist on the Michael Zager Band's singles "Life's a Party" and "Let's All Chant". Zager subsequently offered to help obtain a recording contract for the young singer, but Cissy declined, wanting her daughter to finish school first. Then in 1978, at age sixteen, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a bigger hit in 1992 (Whitney and her mother Cissy sang a majority of the backup vocals on Khan's album Chaka and the 1980 follow-up Naughty). In the early 1980s, Houston worked as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in Vogue Magazine¹⁵ and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of Seventeen magazine.¹⁶ She also appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink commercial. While modeling and touring clubs with her mother, she continued her recording career, 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. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories". Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".¹⁷

Houston had previously been offered several recording contracts (Michael Zager in 1980 and Elektra Records in 1981). 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 Clive Davis, Arista's label head, to take time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed after the performance and offered her a worldwide recording contract, which Houston signed. Later in the year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on the The Merv Griffin Show.

Houston signed with Arista in 1983 but did not begin work on her album immediately. Arista put forth the deal to make sure no other label signed the singer from under them. Davis wanted to find the right material and right producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers were not deemed right by the label, others had to pass on the project due to prior commitments.¹⁸ Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me", which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single, released in 1984, gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit. It would also appear on her debut album when released in 1985.

Debut: 1985–1986

With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's self-titled 1985 debut album was released in February 1985. Rolling Stone Magazine praised the new talent, calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years"¹⁹ while The New York Times called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent."²⁰ After the dance-funk single "Someone For Me" failed to chart in both the US and UK, the album initially sold modestly and failed to make an impact. The plan was to first appeal to a black audience, hence the release of the next single, the soulful ballad "You Give Good Love", which peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 while going #1 on the R&B Charts.¹⁸ As a result, the album began selling and climbing the charts while Houston continued promoting the album touring night clubs in the US. With success on the R&B Charts, Davis wanted Houston to crossover to a broader audience. She began performing on popular night shows that usually weren't open to many black acts.⁶ The jazz-pop ballad "Saving All My Love for You" was released next and would become Houston's first #1 hit single in both the US and the UK. She was now an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by African American artists while favoring rock acts.²¹ The next single, "How Will I Know", peaked at #1 and would introduce Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. This would make the singer one of the first African American female artists to receive heavy rotation on the network.¹⁶ By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 14 consecutive weeks.²² The final single, "Greatest Love of All," became Houston's biggest hit at the time after peaking #1 and remaining there for three weeks. Houston had established a cross-over base and was now able to headline her own tour thus embarking on her Greatest Love Tour. The album had become an international success, selling over thirteen million copies in the United States alone and becoming the best-selling debut album of all time by a female artist. To date, the album has sold approximately 25 million copies worldwide.²³

At the 1986 Grammy Awards ceremony, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year. She was ineligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984.²⁴ She won her first Grammy award for 'Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female' for "Saving All My Love for You". At the same award show she also performed that Grammy-winning hit; the performance later won her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Houston won seven American Music Awards in 1986, and an MTV Video Music Award. The album's popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when "Greatest Love of All" would receive a Record of the Year nomination. Houston's debut is currently listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time²⁵ and on The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Definitive 200 list.²⁶ Whitney Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today.²⁷ Following Houston's breakthrough, other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker were able to find notable success in popular music.²⁸²⁹

Continued success: 1987–1991

Houston’s second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987. The album featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden again, as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating."³⁰ Still, the album was an enormous success. Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the US and UK album chart while also hitting number-one in several other countries around the world. The album's first four singles, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number-one hits, thus breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. The album's fifth, and final single, "Love Will Save the Day" also became a Top 10 hit on the Hot 100. Whitney has been certified diamond in the US for sales of over ten million copies. To date, the album has sold approximately 21 million copies worldwide.

At the Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance' for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)". Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the Moment of Truth World Tour which was one of the ten highest grossing concert tours of 1987.³¹ The success of the tour and Houston's albums helped make her one of the top 10 highest earning entertainers according to Forbes Magazine. She was the highest earning African-American woman and the second highest earning woman behind Madonna. The list included her concert grosses during 1986 and 1987.³²

In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a Top 5 hit in the U.S., while reaching number one in the UK and Germany. With her current world tour continuing overseas, Houston was one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987-1988 according to Forbes.³³

With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics complained that she was selling out.⁶ They noted that her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.¹⁵ At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered.³⁴ Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating "if you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it."¹⁵ Still, Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. Houston produced and chose producers for this project and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album".³⁵ while Entertainment Weekly, called Houston's shift towards an urban direction "superficial".³⁶ The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified four times platinum in America while selling ten million total worldwide. The first two singles, the new jack swing "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and the gospel-tinged "All The Man That I Need", each hit number one on both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. The third and fourth singles, "Miracle"; and "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked at numbers nine and twenty, respectively. A fifth single, "I Belong to You", peaked in the Top 10 on the R&B charts, while yet a sixth single, the duet with Stevie Wonder entitled, "We Didn't Know", made the R&B Top 20.

In 1991, Houston's recording of "The Star Spangled Banner" made the top 20. She then embarked on the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour, but it didn't sell out as much as her previous tours.

Hollywood and recording success: 1992–1997

In 1992 Houston made her big screen debut in The Bodyguard. The motion picture became an international box office success, grossing over $400 million. The films' accompanying soundtrack became a massive hit as well, breaking many records. Houston executive produced, while contributing six songs for the motion picture's adjoining soundtrack album. It featured production from David Foster. Entertainment Weekly said the two cover songs are "artistically satisfying".³⁷ Rolling Stone said it is "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane".³⁸ The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974 . Some, including Foster and radio programers, were skeptical that the song would fare well at radio due to Houston's acapella intro.³⁹ Still, the record company took the risk and released it as the first single and it became a massive international hit. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, and the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts simultaneously. It also hit number-one in nearly every other country worldwide. The single itself has sold approximately ten million copies worldwide, making it the best selling single by a female artist. The soundtrack debuted at #1 and remained there for twenty non-consecutive weeks and became one of the fastest selling albums ever. At one point the soundtrack sold over a million copies in a week, becoming the first album to do so.⁴⁰ With the follow-up singles "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover, and "I Have Nothing" both peaking in the top five, Houston became the first female artist to ever have three singles in the Top 20 simultaneously.⁴¹ The album was certified 17x platinum in the United States⁴² with worldwide sales of forty-two million,⁴³ and is the top selling soundtrack album ever, and the 3rd overall best selling album in history, after Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and AC/DC's "Back In Black". Houston won three Grammys for the album, including two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive and highly profitable global tour in 1993 and 1994. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993-1994, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to Forbes.⁴⁴

In December 1995, Houston starred in her second film "Waiting To Exhale" and co-produced, with Babyface, the critically acclaimed cultural phenomenon Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album. Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction", and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's strong women message.⁴⁵ As a result, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J Blige, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, and Brandy. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" peaked at #1, and then spent a record eleven weeks at the #2 spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B Charts. "Count On Me", a duet with Cece Winans, hit the US Top 10; and Houston's third contribution, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", made the Top 30. The album debuted at #1, has since been certified 7x platinum in America, and has sold thirteen million copies worldwide,⁴³ according to her official site. The soundtrack received strong reviews. Entertainment Weekly said "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks....the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"⁴⁶ and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.⁴⁷ Newsday called it "the most significant R&B record of the decade."^{citation needed}

In late 1996, Houston starred in her third film "The Preacher's Wife" and recorded and co-produced, with Mervyn Warren, the gospel The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album. Collaborations were with the Georgia Mass Choir, Monica, and Shirley Caesar. The album sold six million copies worldwide and scored pop hits with "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step", becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, like USA Today, noted the presence of her emotional depth,⁴⁸ while The UK Times said "To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass Choir struggling to keep up is to realise what her phenomenal voice was made for."⁴⁹

Studio Albums: 1998–2001

After spending much of the early and mid 1990s working on motion pictures and their adjacent soundtrack albums, Houston's first studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed My Love Is Your Love, was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions were so fruitful, enough material was produced for a new full-length studio album. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album had a more funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, reggae, mid-tempo R&B, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity. The album's first single, "When You Believe" (a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998s The Prince of Egypt soundtrack), ultimately won an Academy Award and peaked in the Top 20 of the US Hot 100 and the Top 5 in the UK, while the album debuted at #13.⁵⁰ However, the next three singles would all reach the Top Five. "Heartbreak Hotel", which featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price reached number 2 on the Hot 100, while topping the R&B chart for seven weeks. "It's Not Right but It's Okay", which won Houston her sixth Grammy Award; and "My Love Is Your Love" both reached number four and also became international hits as did the previous two singles. The album's fifth single, "I Learned from the Best", became a moderate hit, peaking at number twenty-seven. All singles, except "When You Believe", also became number one hits on the U.S. Dance/Clubplay Chart. The album went on to be certified four times platinum in the U.S., with worldwide sales of ten million. The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. Rolling Stone said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice"⁵¹ and The Village Voice called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far".⁵² In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1's Divas’ Live '99, alongside Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70 date My Love Is Your Love worldwide tour. The European leg was Europe's highest grossing arena tour of the year.⁵³

In April 2000, Whitney: The Greatest Hits was released. The double disc set peaked at number five in America and reached number one on the UK chart. While the ballads were left unchanged, the album is notable for featuring house/club remixes of many of Houston's up-tempo hits, in place of their original version. Also included on the album were four new songs: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox), "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael), and "Fine", all of which failed to crack the US Top 40, but were hits in the UK and several European countries. Along with the album, an accompanying DVD was also released of the music videos to Houston's greatest hits. The greatest hits album was certified triple platinum in the U.S., with worldwide sales of ten million. The same year, Houston performed on the televised special commemorating Arista Records twenty-fifth anniversary. Houston was then the first ever recipient of the BET Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution towards black music. In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties. Within weeks, Houston's rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" would be re-released after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The song peaked at # 6 this time on the US Hot 100.⁵⁰ Houston would donate her portion of the proceeds.

Professional Struggles: 2002–2005

In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney. The album included productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott, and Babyface, while marking the first time Houston did not produce with Clive Davis. It received mixed reviews upon release.⁵⁴ Rolling Stone said the album "only shows an artist vainly trying to reach for what her future once could have been"⁵⁵ while The San Francisco Chronicle said the album actually does "show signs of life, but not enough to declare a resurrection."⁵⁶ The album had an impressive debut at #9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the highest opening week sales of any album she had ever released. However, all of the singles, "Whatchulookinat", "One of Those Days", and "Try It on My Own" failed to reach the top forty on the Hot 100 (they would see somewhat better performance on the R&B Chart.) All three singles (along with "Love That Man") would also become hits on the US Dance/Clubplay Chart with three of the four hitting #1 on that chart. Just Whitney would be certified platinum in the US and have cumulative worldwide sales of over three million, and would be Houston's lowest sales of any commercial studio album.

In late 2003, Houston released One Wish: The Holiday Album, a specialty album of traditional Christmas songs. Houston produced the album with Gorden Chambers and Mervyn Warren. The album received good reviews (The New York Times praised the "lavish swoops, the sultry whispers, the gospelly asides and the meteoric crescendos.")⁵⁷ The single "One Wish (for Christmas)" reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary Chart as the album sold approximately 400,000 copies in the US. The Christmas album eventually became certified gold in the US, and sold over one million copies worldwide.

In 2004, Houston embarked on the Soul Divas Tour with Natalie Cole and cousin Dionne Warwick in Europe, before embarking on solo dates in the Middle East, Asia, and Russia as well, making her one of the few Western acts to perform in that country. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards, in tribute to long time friend Clive Davis. Houston received a thunderous standing ovation for her performance. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into studio to work on her new album.⁵⁸

New beginnings: 2006–present

After a successful rehabilitation period in 2006, Houston divorced Brown and gained full parental custody of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina. She also began attending various high profile functions. Houston recorded the song "Family First" with mother Cissy Houston and cousin Dionne Warwick for the movie soundtrack to Daddy's Little Girls. In March 2007, Clive Davis announced that the singer would be heading into the studio to record her first studio album in 4 years. Though the release date and title are yet to be determined, reported producers include will.i.am,⁵⁹ Ne-Yo,⁵⁹ and John Legend⁶⁰ among others.⁶¹

In the meantime, Arista Records released The Ultimate Collection in October 2007. The compilation included all of Houston's hit singles on one CD, and also included a bonus DVD of music videos. It peaked at #3 in the UK. The compilation was not released in the U.S.

In December 2007, Houston performed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to positive reception.⁶²⁶³⁶⁴Clive Davis later announced at Billboard's Music & Money Symposium in New York City that Houston's forthcoming album will be released around the holiday season. Davis blames the delay on the creative process, saying he and Houston were unwilling to rush out an album just to have something on the market. Davis stated "We're not going to compromise who she is to fit into today's hip-hop radio market. The public wants Whitney material."⁶⁵

Film and television career

During the early-mid 1980s, as Houston was trying to launch a music career, she auditioned for acting roles; including the part of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which eventually went to Sabrina Le Beauf. In 1984, Houston appeared on an episode of Gimme a Break, and an episode of Silver Spoons in 1985.

With the huge success of her first two albums, movie offers came from Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee, though she felt the time wasn't right.⁶⁶ Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston plays Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. The film was successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide thanks in large to the success of Houston's soundtrack to the film. It is currently among the top 100 highest grossing films worldwide⁶⁷ and USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years.⁶⁸ The movie is also notable for not mentioning or explaining its interracial aspect. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.⁶⁹ Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's ads intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial aspect. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is—I'm black. You can't hide that fact."¹⁴ Despite the film's success, the reviews were mixed, and Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking"⁷⁰ and The New York Times said she lacked passion with her co-star.⁷¹

In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film Waiting to Exhale; a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston plays the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers".⁴⁵ The movie and its soundtrack struck a chord with African Americans and is considered a cultural classic. After opening at #1 and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $82 million worldwide, it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that have become popular in the 2000s.⁷²⁷³⁷⁴ The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as oppose to stereotypes.⁷⁵ The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. The New York Times said "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in "The Bodyguard" seem so distant."⁷⁶ Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture, but lost to her co-star Basset.

In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a reverend. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest paid actress in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African American actress in Hollywood.⁷⁷ The movie was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the U.S. box offices.⁷⁸ The movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and that she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice."⁷⁹ Houston was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture.

In 1997, Houston's production company changed it's name to BrownHouse Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.⁸⁰ Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened.⁸¹ The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message.⁸² An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.⁸³ The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.⁸⁴

Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, who was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar. She wanted the story told with dignity and honor.⁸⁰ However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and she got her version going first.⁸⁵ Houston and Chase, along with Warner Brothers, were then set to produce a remake of the 1976 film Sparkle about a 1960s singing group of three sisters in Harlem. Aaliyah, who was to star in the remake, was killed in a plane crash in 2001 before production began.⁸⁶

In 2005, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program Being Bobby Brown (on the Bravo network), which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown's vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show. The series featured Houston at, what some say, her lowest moments and many wondered why she took part in it. The Hollywood Reporter said it was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television"⁸⁷ Despite the perceived train wreck nature of the show, the series continued Houston's successful adventures into film and television and gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot.⁸⁸ The show was not renewed for a second season after Houston stated she would no longer appear in the show, and Brown and Bravo could not come to an agreement for another season.⁸⁹

Personal life

Marriage and Divorce

Throughout the '80s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated.⁶⁶ She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown (formerly of New Edition) at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. Nearly a year later, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her first child, his fourth. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.⁹⁰

Brown had a history of infidelity, drug and alcohol arrests. Houston filed for separation from him in September 2006 following trips to rehab. The following month, on October 16, 2006, Houston filed for divorce from Brown.⁹¹ On February 1, 2007, Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce.⁹² The divorce became finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple's daughter.⁹³

In May 2007, Brown sued Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Brown also sought child and spousal support from Houston. In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Houston's divorce petition.⁹⁴ Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support.⁹⁵

Substances

Though Houston was seen as a good girl with a perfect image in the '80s and early '90s, during the late '90s many noted a change in her behavior. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots, rehearsals, while cancelling concerts and talk-show appearances.⁹⁶⁹⁷ With the missed performances and weight loss, people began to wonder if something was wrong, and rumors began of drug use with her husband. On January 11, 2000, airport security discovered marijuana in both Houston's and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaiian airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against her and Brown⁹⁸ but rumors of drug usage among the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston had been scheduled to perform at the event, but did not attend.⁹⁹ Shortly after, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and long time friend Burt Bacharach. Though her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation, many speculated it was drugs. In Steve Pond's book "The Big Show: High Times And Dirty Dealings Backstage At The Academy Awards", it was revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant" and that while Houston was to sing "Over The Rainbow", she would start singing a different song.¹⁰⁰ Houston herself would later admit to being fired.¹⁰¹ Later that year, Houston's long time executive assistant and best friend Robyn Crawford resigned from Houston's management company.⁹⁹

The next year, Houston made an appearance at Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. Her shockingly thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use. Her publicist said "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat."¹⁰² The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled.¹⁰³

In late 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer which became the highest rated interview in television history.¹⁰¹ During the prime time special, Houston spoke on various topics including rumored drug use, and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight. Okay? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is wack."¹⁰¹ The line would become infamous.¹⁰⁴ Houston, to her credit, admitted to using various substances at times.¹⁰¹ Houston entered drug rehabilitation facilities in 2004 and 2005, and has successfully completed the program.¹⁰⁵

Legal Disputes

In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was now actually run by company president Kevin Skinner. He filed a a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million (but lost), stating that Houston owed his company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters.¹⁰⁶ Houston claimed that her 81 year old father had nothing to do with the lawsuit, it was Skinner. Although Skinner tried to claim otherwise, John Houston was never at any court appearances.¹⁰⁷ Houston's father was ill at the time, and died in February 2003.¹⁰⁸ The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.¹⁰⁹

In 2008, Houston was sued by her stepmother, Barbara Houston, who claims that Whitney illegally appropriated a $1 million life insurance policy from the estate of Whitney's father, John. Barbara Houston claimed that the money should have gone to pay off a mortgage on an apartment jointly owned by Barbara and John and she had the right to any remaining money. ¹¹⁰

Philanthropy

In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer and AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment.¹¹¹ In 1995, Houston's organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work. In 1997, Houston paid tribute to her idols such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Billie Holliday by performing their hits during the three night HBO Concert Classic Whitney, live from Washington, D.C.. The special raised over $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund.¹¹²

Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with a then apartheid South Africa.^{citation needed} In 1988, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then imprisoned Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Over 72,000 people filled Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid.¹¹³ In 1994, at the end of The Bodyguard Tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa, playing to over 200,000 people. This would make the singer the first musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election.^{citation needed} The funds of the concerts were donated to various charities in South Africa.^{citation needed} The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".¹¹⁴

Houston has also contributed to the American Red Cross. Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991.¹¹⁵ VH1 listed the performance as the 12th greatest moment that rocked tv.¹¹⁶ Her recording of the song was released as a commercial single, reaching the top twenty on the U.S. Hot 100, and making her the only artist to turn the national anthem into a charting hit.^{citation needed} Ten years later, the song was re-released after the September 11, 2001 attacks, this time peaking becoming a Top 10 hit on the pop charts.¹¹⁷ Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the Red Cross.¹¹⁵ As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors for her efforts.¹¹⁸ Later that year, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at the Norfolk Air Force Base in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 people. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone the watch.¹¹⁹ Houston's concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever.¹²⁰

Houston has contributed heavily to the United Negro College Fund. One of her first shows, before releasing her own album, was at a UNCF benefit backing up her mother in the early 1980s. Houston has also appeared at UNCF telethons and specials in 1988, 1989, and 2001. As a result, UNCF has awarded the singer with the Frederick D. Patterson Award for her donations.^{citation needed}

Awards

Main article: List of Whitney Houston awards

Discography

Main article: Whitney Houston discography

Studio Albums 1985: Whitney Houston 1987: Whitney 1990: I'm Your Baby Tonight 1998: My Love Is Your Love 2002: Just Whitney 2003: One Wish: The Holiday Album Soundtracks 1992: The Bodyguard 1995: Waiting to Exhale 1996: The Preacher's Wife Compilations 2000: Whitney: The Greatest Hits 2001: Love, Whitney 2004: Artist Collection: Whitney Houston 2007: The Ultimate Collection Videos/DVDs 1991: Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston 1997: Classic Whitney Concert 1999: VH1 Divas Live '99 2000: The Greatest Hits 2000: Fine 2002: Whatchulookinat Video/Whatchulookinat Behind-the-Scenes Footage/Love to Infinity Megamix Video 2004: Artist Collection: Whitney Houston

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Gimme a Break!	Rita	"Katie's College" (Season 3, Episode 20)
1992	The Bodyguard	Rachel Marron	Main RolE
1995	Waiting to Exhale	Savannah Jackson	Main Role
1996	The Preacher's Wife	Julia Biggs	Main Role
1997	Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella	Fairy Godmother	made for television (ABC)
2003	Boston Public	As Herself	Cameo Appearance
2004	Nora's Hair Salon	As Herself	Cameo Appearance

As Producer

Year	Title	Notes
1997	Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella	executive producer
2001	The Princess Diaries	producer
2003	The Cheetah Girls	executive producer
2004	The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement	producer
2006	The Cheetah Girls 2	executive producer

Tours

• 1986: Greatest Love Tour
• 1987: Moment of Truth World Tour
• 1991: I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour
• 1993-1994:The Bodyguard World Tour
• 1997: Pacific Rim Tour
• 1998: The European Tour
• 1999: My Love Is Your Love World Tour
• 2004: Soul Divas Tour

Further reading

• Bowman, Jeffrey (1995). Diva: The Totally Unauthorized Biography of Whitney Houston. Harpercollins. ISBN 978-0061008535. 
• Ammons, Kevin (1996). Good Girl, Bad Girl: An Insider's Biography of Whitney Houston. Citadel Press. ISBN 978-1559723794. 
• Parish, James Robert (2003). Whitney Houston: The Biography. Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1854109217. 

See also

• Whitney Houston chart records and achievements
• List of Whitney Houston awards
• Grammy nominations for Whitney Houston
• List of artists by total number of USA number one singles
• American Music Award nominations for Whitney Houston
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References