Birth name : Whitney Elizabeth HoustonBorn : 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-soprano
Years active : 1977–present
Label(s) : Arista
Associated acts : Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Cece Winans, Aretha Franklin
Website : www.whitneyhouston.com
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, 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. She is frequently referred to as "The Voice", 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. 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. 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, and is the "The Most Awarded Female Artist of All Time" 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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, Ne-Yo, and John Legend among others.
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. Clive 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."
According to a blog on the New York Post website, Houston will perform songs from her upcoming album at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party this year. The blog also credits Clive Davis as saying the album will be released in March 2009. Source : en.wikipedia.org
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. 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. 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, and is the "The Most Awarded Female Artist of All Time" 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
New beginnings: 2006–presentAfter 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, Ne-Yo, and John Legend among others.
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. Clive 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."
According to a blog on the New York Post website, Houston will perform songs from her upcoming album at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party this year. The blog also credits Clive Davis as saying the album will be released in March 2009. Source : en.wikipedia.org
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