Whitney Houston
Born in Newark, New Jersey. She started performing at the
age of 11 in the gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church
Discovery
Houston spent much of her teenage years touring night clubs
with her mother. While touring a representative from Arista
Records saw her perform in a night club and convinced Clive
Davis, Arista's label head, to offer her a worldwide recording
contract.
The Rise to Superstardom
Her first album topped the Billboard album chart for 14
consecutive weeks and became the best-selling debut album
by a female artist. Rolling Stone called her "one of the most
exciting new voices in years" Her entrance into the music
industry was listed as one of the 25 musical milestones of the
last 25 years according to USA Today.
Movie Success
Movie offers came in from Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and
Spike Lee, though she felt the time wasn't right. Houston’s
first film role was in The Bodyguard, co-starring Kevin
Costner. The film grossed more than $410 million worldwide
thanks in large part to the success of the soundtrack.
Fairy Godmother to Princesses
Houston later co-produced and starred in a made for TV
remake of Cinderella. Houston said the ultimate message was
that "African-American girls and women are princesses just as
much as girls of other ethnicities, and that they too can
fulfill their dreams." An estimated 60 million viewers tuned
into the special giving ABC it's highest TV ratings in 16 years.
Crossing Over the Line
With the success of her first two albums, Houston was a cross
over superstar. However, some critics complained that her
music was "bland" and that she sounded "too White". Then at
the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards the audience booed her.
This led the pop singer to take a more urban direction in her
music. Her next album featured collaborations with
Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder.
The Nightmare Begins
Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the Soul Train Music
Awards. After a three year courtship, they were married and
Whitney gave birth to a daughter.
In December 2003 Brown was arrested and charged with
battery after an altercation with Houston. Her personal life
would be reported about more than her music. Stories of
drug and spousal abuse led to a decline in her album sales and
her public image. Houston began looking and sounding less like
the singer people came to know and she stopped making
public appearances. In 2005, Houston appeared on then-
husband’s Bobby Brown reality TV program which provided a
view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household.
The Comeback Begins...
Houston underwent two drug rehab programs in 2005 and
2006. After a successful second program in 2006, Houston
divorced Bobby Brown and gained custody of their daughter.
She has since been working on her 7th studio album with
music mogul and close friend and mentor Clive Davis.
To be continued….
Born in Newark, New Jersey. She started performing at the
age of 11 in the gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church
Discovery
Houston spent much of her teenage years touring night clubs
with her mother. While touring a representative from Arista
Records saw her perform in a night club and convinced Clive
Davis, Arista's label head, to offer her a worldwide recording
contract.
The Rise to Superstardom
Her first album topped the Billboard album chart for 14
consecutive weeks and became the best-selling debut album
by a female artist. Rolling Stone called her "one of the most
exciting new voices in years" Her entrance into the music
industry was listed as one of the 25 musical milestones of the
last 25 years according to USA Today.
Movie Success
Movie offers came in from Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and
Spike Lee, though she felt the time wasn't right. Houston’s
first film role was in The Bodyguard, co-starring Kevin
Costner. The film grossed more than $410 million worldwide
thanks in large part to the success of the soundtrack.
Fairy Godmother to Princesses
Houston later co-produced and starred in a made for TV
remake of Cinderella. Houston said the ultimate message was
that "African-American girls and women are princesses just as
much as girls of other ethnicities, and that they too can
fulfill their dreams." An estimated 60 million viewers tuned
into the special giving ABC it's highest TV ratings in 16 years.
Crossing Over the Line
With the success of her first two albums, Houston was a cross
over superstar. However, some critics complained that her
music was "bland" and that she sounded "too White". Then at
the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards the audience booed her.
This led the pop singer to take a more urban direction in her
music. Her next album featured collaborations with
Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder.
The Nightmare Begins
Houston met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the Soul Train Music
Awards. After a three year courtship, they were married and
Whitney gave birth to a daughter.
In December 2003 Brown was arrested and charged with
battery after an altercation with Houston. Her personal life
would be reported about more than her music. Stories of
drug and spousal abuse led to a decline in her album sales and
her public image. Houston began looking and sounding less like
the singer people came to know and she stopped making
public appearances. In 2005, Houston appeared on then-
husband’s Bobby Brown reality TV program which provided a
view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household.
The Comeback Begins...
Houston underwent two drug rehab programs in 2005 and
2006. After a successful second program in 2006, Houston
divorced Bobby Brown and gained custody of their daughter.
She has since been working on her 7th studio album with
music mogul and close friend and mentor Clive Davis.
To be continued….
