Whitney Houston was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother is gospel and R&B singer Cissy Houston and Dinne Warwick is a cousin. By the age of 11, Whitney Houston was performing as a soloist at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. She attended the Roman Catholic School Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Whitney Houston counts Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack among her early musical influences.Background Vocalist of Whitney Houston:As a teenager Whitney Houston began touring with her mother as a backup vocalist. In 1978, at the age of 15, she backed Chaka Khan on the hit single "I'm Every Woman." Whitney Houston also sang on recordings by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson. In addition to her music career, Houston began working as a model and appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine. She made an appearance on the 1982 album One Down by Bill Laswell's avant funk band Material. Whitney Houston sang the ballad "Memories". Clive Davis signed Houston to a recording contract with Arista Records in 1983 after seeing her performance in a nightclub.
Whitney Houston's Debut Album:
Clive Davis did not rush the recording of Whitney Houston's self-titled debut. In the meantime she recorded "Hold Me," a duet with R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass. It became a top five R&B hit in 1984. The album Whitney Houston was released in March 1985. The first single "Someone For Me" was a relative failure and did not chart in the US or UK. The second single "You Give Good Love" took off with R&B audiences and eventually landed at the top of the R&B singles chart and #3 on the pop chart. The following three singles all topped the pop singles chart. The album sold over 13 million copies in the US.
Whitney Album:
Anticipation was very high for Whitney Houston's second solo album. Upon release in June 1987, some critics complained that Whitney was too similar to her first album. However, pop audiences disagreed. The first four singles all went to #1. Whitney Houston became the first recording artist to ever release seven consecutive singles that topped the Billboard Hot 100. She bypassed the previous record of six by the Beatles and Bee Gees. A fifth single from the album, "Love Will Save the Day," also hit the top 10. The album was the first by a female artist to debut at #1 on the US album chart.
Whitney Houston's Marriage to Bobby Brown:
Whitney Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. They dated for three years and married in 1992. Their relationship was beset with tabloid headlines and Bobby Brown's run-ins with the law. Their family was the subject of a reality TV show Being Bobby Brown which debuted on Bravo in 2004. The pair separated in September 2006, filed for divorce the following month, and the divorce was eventually finalized in April 2007.Top Hit Singles:
1. "I Will Always Love You" - 19922. "Greatest Love Of All" - 19863. "How Will I Know" - 19854. "All the Man That I Need" - 19905. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" - 19876. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" - 19887. "Didn't We Almost Have It All" - 19878. "Saving All My Love for You" - 19859. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" - 199010. "So Emotional" - 1987
I'm Your Baby Tonight:
Whitney Houston's music took a more adamantly urban turn on her 1990 album I'm Your Baby Tonight. It included production by Babyface and Stevie Wonder among others. The album only reached #3 on the US chart but eventually sold over four million copies. The singles "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All The Man That I Need" both topped the pop singles chart. In January 1991 Whitney Houston performed the "Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV and it was hailed as one of the most stunning televised performances ever.
Whitney Houston's Acting and The Bodyguard:
4=u74My Love Is Your Love:
Whitney Houston's first studio, non-soundtrack, album in eight years was released in November 1998. My Love Is Your Love was heavily oriented toward the urban and dance markets. The album included "When You Believe," a duet with Mariah Carey, and four consecutive #1 dance hits, "Heartbreak Hotel," "It's Not Right, But It's OK," "My Love Is Your Love," and "I Learned From the Best." The album failed to reach the top 10 but ultimately sold four million copies and received some of the best reviews of Whitney Houston's career.
Whitney Houston's Decline and Return:
In the early 2000's rumors of drug use, missed performances, and late appearances all tarnished Whitney Houston's public image. She released her fifth studio album Just Whitney in 2002 to mixed reviews. The album debuted inside the top 10 on the album chart but failed to produce any top 40 singles. It did eventually sell a million copies. Whitney Houston released One Wish, a Christmas album, in 2003.
Whitney Houston embarked on a world concert tour in 2004, but the following few years found her doing little connected with music. In March 2007, as her divorce with Bobby Brown was being finalized, Clive Davis announced Houston would be going into the studio to record new material. After nearly two years of rumors, Whitney Houston took the stage at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy part in February 2009. Whitney Houston's next studio album, titled I Look To You, is due in stores August 31, 2009.
