Whitney Houston (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American Pop and R&B singer, actress, film producer, and former model. She is well-known for her powerful vocals, melismatic style, her expansive vocal range and her agile coloratura.

Houston is one of a few African-American artists to receive heavy rotation on MTV in the mid-1980s. She is the only artist to have a record seven consecutive Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit singles. Houston is the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States behind Barbra Streisand, Madonna, and Mariah Carey, and she has sold over 170 million records worldwide.

Rumors of spousal abuse, and drug abuse stifled her album sales during the early 2000s. She entered into drug rehabilitation twice. After a successful second program in 2006, Houston divorced her husband Bobby Brown and gained custody of their daughter. She has since been working on her 7th studio album with music mogul and close friend Clive Davis.

Early life

Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey, and is the third and youngest child of John and Cissy Houston. She was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. As a teenager, she attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Houston"s mother Cissy, her first cousin (Dionne Warwick), and godmother (Aretha Franklin) are all notable figures in the gospel music, rhythm and blues and soul music genres. 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.

Music career

Early career: 1977-1986

In 1977, at age fourteen, Houston was featured as the lead vocalist on the Michael Zager Band"s single "Life"s a Party." Zager subsequently offered to help obtain a recording contract for her, but Cissy declined, wanting her daughter to focus more on school, and honing her craft. In 1979, Houston sang background vocals with her mother on Chaka Khan"s hit single "Papillon (A.K.A. Hot Butterfly)." In the early-1980s, Houston began working as a fashion model; later featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine, and in a Canada Dry commercial. While modeling, she continued to pursue a singing 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" (composed by Hugh Hopper, lyrics by Robert Wyatt), which received favorable reviews from The Village Voice when the album was released.

Houston had been offered several recordings contracts (from Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981) when, in 1983, an A&R representative from Arista Records saw her performing with her mother in a New York City night club. Clive Davis, Arista's label head, later saw her perform and offered her a worldwide contract, which Houston signed. Later in the year, Whitney made her national televised debut alongside Davis on the The Merv Griffin Show.

While recording her debut album, Houston recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass titled "Hold Me," which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single peaked in the top fifty on the U.S. pop chart and became a top five R&B hit, and would later be featured on her debut album as well.

Released in February 1985, Houston"s self-titled 1985 debut album initially sold modestly, until the success of its first single "You Give Good Love," which peaked in the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up singles: "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" all peaked at number one on the pop chart. In 1986, the Whitney Houston album topped the Billboard 200 album chart, reached #2 in the UK and Germany, and went onto sell over thirteen million copies in the United States"making it the best-selling debut album by a female artist. To date, the album has sold approximately 25 million copies worldwide. The same year, Houston launched her first headlining tour called The Greatest Love Tour, and won a Grammy award for "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female" for "Saving All My Love For You"; two American Music Awards for "Favorite Soul/ R&B Video" and "Favorite Soul/ R&B Single" for "Saving All My Love" and "You Give Good Love" respectively; and a MTV Video Music Award for "Best Female Video of the Year" ("How Will I Know")

1987-1988: Whitney

Houston"s second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987, and became the first album in history by a female to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 in the US, it topped the charts in the UK and Germany as well. 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 Billboard Hot 100"which brought her a total of seven consecutive Hot 100 number-one hits; 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" peaked at number nine on the Hot 100. The Whitney album was certified nine times platinum in the America, and sold approximately 20 million worldwide.

Houston won her second Grammy in 1988, for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" ("I Wanna Dance With Somebody") and embarked on the worldwide The Moment of Truth tour. The same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "One Moment In Time," which peaked at number five in the U.S., while reaching number one in the UK and Germany.

I'm Your Baby Tonight, Houston"s third studio album, was released in November 1990. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified four times platinum in the US, selling ten million worldwide. The first two singles, "I"m Your Baby Tonight" and "All The Man That I Need" each hit number one on both the pop and R&B singles charts respectively. The third and fourth singles: "Miracle," and "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked at numbers nine and twenty"the fifth single, "I Belong To You", peaked in the top 10 on the R&B charts, while yet another single, a duet with Stevie Wonder entitled "We Didn't Know", made the R&B Top 20.

Whitney performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. Her recording on the song was released as a commercial single, reaching the top twenty on the U.S. Hot 100; making her the only artist to turn the national anthem into a chart hit (ten years later, the song was re-released after the September 11, 2001 attacks, this time peaking at number six.) Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross. The performance was prerecorded in a studio before the actual event. Houston wanted to do this because of the fact that the acoustics in the stadium were not that good. This performance of the national anthem was named number one in the NFL"s 2003 list of Top 25 greatest moments in NFL history.

In 1991, Houston embarked I"m Your Baby Tonight Tour, which Rolling Stone poll voters voted "Worst Tour of the Year."

International success: 1992 - 1998

In November 1992, Houston made her big screen debut, opposite Kevin Costner, in The Bodyguard, which garnered over $120 million at the US box office. Whitney performed six songs on the films adjoining soundtrack album, which was certified 17x platinum in the United States (with worldwide sales of 42 million, according to Whitney's official site) and went onto become the best-selling soundtrack album ever. Houston"s recording of "I Will Always Love You" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks and topping the charts in nearly every other country including the big markets UK, Germany, France and Australia. Follow-up singles: "I'm Every Woman" and "I Have Nothing" also peaked in the top five. The album won Album of the Year and Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Following the success of the film, Houston embarked on an expansive worldwide tour in 1993, which concluded in 1994 with a televised concert in South Africa. During this time, Whitney also recorded "Something in Common," a duet with new husband Bobby Brown.

In December 1995, Houston starred in her second film Waiting to Exhale, which earned approximately $60 million at the box office. Whitney contributed three songs to the soundtrack album: "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" and "Count on Me" peaked at number one and eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart respectively; the third, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" peaked at number twenty-six. The album, which in addition to Houston featured a bevy of contemporary R&B female recording artists, was certified seven times platinum in America, and sold thirteen million worldwide, according to Whitney's official site.

In late 1996, Whitney returned to the silver screen in the Penny Marshall-directed The Preacher's Wife, alongside Denzel Washington. Whitney performed all but one of the of the tracks of the gospel/holiday music-influenced motion picture soundtrack album; scoring a US top five pop hit with "I Believe in You and Me," and as well "Step by Step", a Top 10 hit in Germany and a Top 20 success in the US and the UK. The soundtrack became the largest selling contemporary gospel album of all time.

After spending much of the 1990s working on films, with their adjacent soundtrack albums as primarily the only outlet to issue new Houston music, Arista Records released Houston"s fourth album My Love Is Your Love in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions produced enough new material for a full-length studio album. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, and working with such producers as: Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott, the album was more R&B and hip hop-driven than any previous Houston title. The albums first three singles: "Heartbreak Hotel" (which featured 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" all reached the U.S. pop top five. The title track "My love is your love" became the biggest european hit from the album by reaching #2 in both, the UK and Germany. Also featured on the album was the Academy Award-winning "When You Believe," a duet with Mariah Carey, recorded for the soundtrack to 1998s The Prince of Egypt, which became a Top 10 hit in Germany, France and the UK as well as a Top 20 entry in the US. The albums final single, "I Learned from the Best," peaked inside the US top forty, at number twenty-seven. My Love Is Your Love went on to be certified four times platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of ten million. In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1"s Divas" Live "99, alongside Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Cher, Brandy and Chaka Khan. The same year, Whitney hit the road with her My Love Is Your Love tour.

In April 2000, Arista Records released Whitney: The Greatest Hits. The double disc set peaked at number five on the Billboard Top 200, spent two weeks at number one on the UK chart and reached #2 in Germany. While the ballads were left unchanged, the album is notable for featuring house/club remixes of Houston"s past uptempo songs, 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." Along with the album, an accompanying DVD was also released of the music videos to Houston"s greatest hits. The album was certified triple platinum, with worldwide sales of ten million. The same year, Houston performed on the televised special commemorating Arista Records twenty-fifth anniversary.

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. Three months later, Whitney performed on the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special.

2002-2004: Just Whitney

In December 2002, Arista Records released Houston"s fifth studio album, Just Whitney. The album featured collaborations with then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott, and received mixed reviews upon its release. Despite debuting at number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart (with the highest opening week sales of any album she had ever released prior), 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. Though certified platinum in the US, Just Whitney ultimately became Houston"s lowest selling studio album. Just two years after topping the UK charts with the compilation album Whitney: The Greatest Hits, Just Whitney remarkably failed to chart inside the Official UK Top 75, peaking at number seventy-six amid an absence of promotion. Whatchulookinat was the only single to be released in the UK, peaking at number thirteen and spent just two weeks inside the Top 40. Subsequent singles were shelved. The album has cumulative worldwide sales of just over three million. One Wish: The Holiday Album, a holiday album of traditional Christmas songs, was released in late 2003. It too sold poorly, shifting approximately 348,000 copies in North America; becoming the first album in Houston"s recorded career to not achieve at least gold-status.

In 2004, Whitney 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 gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards, in tribute to long time friend and mentor Clive Davis. Houston received a thunderous standing ovation for her performance.

2006-present: Current career activity

Whitney Houston attended the Carousel of Hope Ball in October 2006, where Katharine McPhee dedicated a performance of Houston"s "I Have Nothing" to her. There, Clive Davis confirmed that he and Houston were again collaborating on the singers next album. In 2007, Houston recorded "Family First," a song for the soundtrack of the film Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls. The song also featured Houston"s mother Cissy, her cousin Dionne Warwick, and daughter Bobbi Kristina. The release date for the album is expected to be around Nov - Dec 2007

Film and television career

During the early-mid 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 losing out to Sabrina Le Beauf. In 1984, Houston appeared on an episode of Gimme a Break, and an episode of Silver Spoons in 1985.

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 1996, she Houston co-starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, Houston with Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance which earned approximately fifty million in the US.

In 1997, Houston 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.

In 2003, Houston appeared in an episode of Boston Public, where she performed her song "Try It on My Own."

In 2005, Houston made featured appearances on her then-husband"s reality TV program Being Bobby Brown, which provided an otherwise sketchy view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household.

Of late, Houston has served as executive producer of the Disney films The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Houston also served as one of the producers on the Disney made-for-television films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2: When in Spain.

Personal life

Marriage to Bobby Brown

Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. On March 4, 1993 she gave birth to their child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. During the course of their marriage, rumors of Brown"s infidelity and allegations of domestic violence became consistent tabloid fodder. Though the two vehemently denied both charges, in December 2003 Brown was arrested and charged with battery after an altercation with Whitney.

In September 2006, the couple legally separated. The following month, on October 16, 2006, Houston filed for divorce from Brown. On February 1, 2007 Whitney asked the court to fast track their divorce. The divorce became finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couples daughter.

On April 26, 2007, Brown filed court papers with the Orange County Superior Court to set aside the divorce judgment that ended his marriage to Houston. In the filing, he claims the marriage was ended under false pretenses and sought child support, possible spousal support, and a change in the judgment that gave full custody of their daughter to Whitney. The papers also claim that Brown was essentially homeless at one point and severely depressed during that time. A court hearing has been set for June 2007.

Drug and health issues

On January 11, 2000, airport security discovered marijuana in the luggage of both Houston"s and husband Bobby Brown"s luggage at a Hawaiian airport. Despite being detained for questioning, the two boarded the plane and departed before the authorities could arrive. Though charges were later dropped against her and Brown, rumors of drug usage ran rampant; with the media and public speculating the cause of Houston"s sometimes erratic behavior. In late 2002, Houston was interviewed by Diane Sawyer during a prime time special. Throughout the discussion, the singer spoke of various allegations; from rumored drug abuse to her tumultuous marriage to Brown. Houston entered drug rehabilitation facilities in March 2004 and again in March 2005.

In 2006, Bobby Brown"s sister, Tina Brown, took a photo of what she claimed was Houston"s bathroom and said, Quote: "That Bitch is on crack!" The National Enquirer. It displayed images of drug paraphernalia. In the interview, Ms. Brown (herself a known drug abuser) claimed that Houston spent days locked in her bedroom doing drugs.

John Houston dispute

In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with her father, and one-time manager, John Houston. Houston sued his daughter for $100 million (but lost); stating that she owed his company previously unpaid compensation for helping to guide her career, as well as for helping to manage the various controversies that had surrounded it in recent years. Both of them appeared on television and disputed the other's claims. John Houston died in February 2003. The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, after Kevin Skinner, the man who claimed to own John Houston Entertainment, failed to participate in pre-trial discovery.

Purported financial troubles

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, New Jersey 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 it 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 Courts."

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. Her attorney, however, later claimed that Houston owns the house free and clear.

Currently, Houston has her Atlanta home up for sale at $1.3 million, which if sold, would not make a profit. Houston also currently owns a home in Laguna Beach, California.

Awards

Template:Main article

Discography

See Whitney Houston discography for more information

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
2008: Houston's Sixth Studio Album

Soundtrack albums:

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 To be released in November 2007

Videography

Home videos:

1986; Number One Video Hits
1991; Star Spangled Banner
1991; Welcome Home Heroes
1994; Concert for a New South Africa
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

Feature Films:

1992; The Bodyguard
1995; Waiting to Exhale
1996; The Preacher's Wife
1997; Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Number-one songs

The following songs entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100:

1985; "Saving All My Love for You"
1986; "How Will I Know"
1986; "Greatest Love of All"
1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1987; "Didn't We Almost Have It All"
1988; "So Emotional"
1988; "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
1990; "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
1991; "All the Man That I Need"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"
1995; "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"

The following songs reached number-one on the UK singles chart"

1985; "Saving All My Love for You"
1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1988; "One Moment in Time"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the U.S. Dance chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1987; "So Emotional"
1988; "Love Will Save the Day"
1993; "I'm Every Woman"
1994; "Queen of the Night"
1998; "Heartbreak Hotel" (featuring Faith Evans & Kelly Price)
1999; "It's Not Right but It's Okay"
1999; "My Love Is Your Love"
2000; "I Learned from the Best"
2002; "Whatchulookinat"
2003; "Try It on My Own"
2004; "Love That Man"

The following songs reached number-one on the Canadian singles chart:

1986; "How Will I Know"
1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"

The following songs reached number-one on the German singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1988; "One Moment in Time"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the French singles chart:

1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Dutch singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Belgium singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Swiss singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"
2000; "Could I Have This Kiss Forever"

The following songs reached number-one on the Swedish singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Spanish singles chart:

1995; "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
1999; "It's Not Right But It's Okay"

The following songs reached number-one on the Australian singles chart:

1986; "The Greatest Love of All"
1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the New Zealand singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You""

The following songs reached number-one on the South African singles chart:

1986; "Greatest Love of All"
1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1991; "All The Man That I Need"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"
1995; "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
1999; "My Love Is Your Love"

The following songs reached number-one on the Zimbabwe singles chart:

1991; "All The Man That I Need"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"
1995; "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"

The following songs reached number-one on the Austrian singles chart:

1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Finnish singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"

The following songs reached number-one on the Norway singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Irish singles chart:

1985; "Saving All My Love for You"
1992; "I Will Always Love You"

The following songs reached number-one on the Italian singles chart:

1987; "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
1990; "I'm Your Baby Tonight"

Whitney Houston