Whitney Houston Biography
Grammy-award winning singer Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey . Houston was born into a musical family; her mother, Cissy Houston was a gospel/R&B singer, and her cousin, Dionne Warwick, is also a famed singer.
At 11 years old, Houston was performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at her Baptist church. As a teen, she traveled with her mother on the concert circuit; going on to sing back-up for artists such as Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan. Houston also pursued a career in modeling and acting, appearing on such 80s sitcoms as Gimme a Break and Silver Spoons. Houston even tried out for the part of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which instead went to Sabrina Le Beauf. Houston ’s first recording as a featured vocalist came in 1982, on jazz-funk ensemble Material’s album, One Down. The following year, Arista president, Clive Davis heard Houston sing at a nightclub and immediately offered her a record contract.
In 1985, Houston released her self-titled debut album. Although its first single, Someone for Me, missed the charts, the second single, You Give Good Love hit number three on the R&B charts. A successful string of songs followed, including the Grammy-winning ballad Saving All My Love for You, catchy dance-tune How Will I Know, and self-esteem serenade The Greatest Love of All. The album sold over 13 million copies, becoming the best-selling debut album ever by a female artist. Houston ’s next album, Whitney, became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one, and went on to sell over nine million copies.
By 1990, Houston released her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight. Although the album marked a steady decline in record sales for Houston , she was still wildly popular with the public, and began shifting her focus to acting. In 1992, Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown, and starred in her first feature film, The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner. Although the film was well-received at the box-office, it was the Dolly Parton-penned ballad I Will Always Love You that propelled its soundtrack to become a 16 million copy seller. I Will Always Love You went on to become the biggest single and most played song in pop music history.
Houston ’s next acting venture came in the 1995 film, Waiting to Exhale. Prior to its release, it was announced that Houston and Brown had split; however, the pair soon reunited a few months later. The first single from the soundtrack, Exhale (Shoop Shoop) topped the charts; and the album sold over seven million copies. In 1996, Houston returned to gospel for the soulful soundtrack to the film The Preacher's Wife, also starring Houston and Denzel Washington.
In 1998, Houston released her first full-length album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love. She followed up with a duet about miracles with fellow diva Mariah Carey on When You Believe. The pairing itself seemed like a miracle, as rumors of a reported rivalry had followed the successful songstresses for years.
In 2000, Houston had a bad start to the new millennium when she was arrested in Hawaii for marijuana possession, although the charges were later dropped. When Houston herself was dropped from the Academy Awards telecast later that year, rumors flew of Houston ’s poor performance during rehearsals and erratic behavior. Although Arista compilations of her work followed, it was Houston ’s personal life that began to overshadow her immense talent. In addition to allegations of substance abuse, Houston 's frail and perspiring appearance at Michael Jackson’s 30th anniversary concert led to speculation that she suffered from an eating disorder. In 2005, Houston’s appearance in the Bravo reality show Being Bobby Brown increased concern for the couple’s welfare, although it was also one of the network’s most popular programs.Also in 2005, Houston entered drug rehabilitation facilities for the second time.
In September 2006, Houston ’s rep confirmed to People magazine that the singer had filed for divorce from Bobby Brown. The couple has one child together, 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Since September, Houston has reemerged in the public eye, appearing with music mogul Clive Davis, amidst public anticipation of a come-back. |
