whitney houston biography

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

Who was Whitney Houston?

What was whitney houston's first movie.

• What are some of the major film festivals?

Whitney Houston

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• AllMusic - Whitney Houston
• BlackPast - Biography of Whitney Houston
• Official Site of Whitney Houston
• LiveAbout - Whitney Houston Biography and Profile
• Turner Classic Movies - Whitney Houston
• Whitney Houston - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Whitney Houston was a Grammy Award-winning singer and actress who was one of the best-selling musical performers of the 1980s and 1990s. Her debut album, Whitney Houston , was released in 1985 and yielded three number-one singles in the United States: “Greatest Love of All,” which became her signature; “Saving All My Love for You”; and “How Will I Know.”

Whitney Houston made her motion-picture debut in 1992 in The Bodyguard . The film featured her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which stayed at number one for 14 weeks. The film’s soundtrack dominated the Grammys, winning awards for album of the year, record of the year, and best female pop vocal performance.

How did Whitney Houston die?

Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub at a Beverly Hills hotel on February 11, 2012. A coroner’s report stated that the cause of death was accidental drowning, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors.

When was Whitney Houston inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Whitney Houston was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

For which song did Whitney Houston win her first Grammy?

Whitney Houston won her first Grammy Award for the single "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" from Whitney (1987).

News •

Whitney Houston (born August 9, 1963, Newark , New Jersey , U.S.—died February 11, 2012, Beverly Hills , California) was an American singer and actress who was one of the best-selling musical performers of the 1980s and ’90s.

The daughter of Emily (“Cissy”) Houston—whose vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations, sang backup for Aretha Franklin —and the cousin of singer Dionne Warwick , Whitney Houston began singing in church as a child. While still in high school , she sang backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls and modeled for fashion magazines. At age 19 she signed with Arista Records, whose president, Clive Davis , groomed the gospel -based singer for crossover pop success. Her debut album, Whitney Houston (1985), yielded three number one singles in the United States: “Greatest Love of All,” which became her signature; “Saving All My Love for You”; and “How Will I Know.” Whitney (1987) delivered four more number ones and earned Houston a Grammy Award (for the single “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”).

In 1992 Houston married singer Bobby Brown and made her motion-picture debut in The Bodyguard ; the film featured her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “ I Will Always Love You ,” which stayed at number one for 14 weeks. The film’s soundtrack dominated the Grammys the following year, with Houston winning the awards for album of the year, record of the year, and best female pop vocal performance. In the mid-1990s she continued acting , in films such as Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996), and the soundtrack of each film generated hit singles for her.

In 1998 Houston released My Love Is Your Love , which did not sell as well as previous efforts but was praised by the critics and earned her another Grammy Award. In 2001 she signed a new multialbum contract with Arista for $100 million, but personal difficulties soon overshadowed her recording career. Houston’s tumultuous relationship with Brown (the couple divorced in 2007) provided fodder for the tabloids, as did her acknowledged drug use and financial issues. Her 2002 album, Just Whitney , was a personal response to her detractors, but its sales were disappointing compared with earlier efforts. Other than a lacklustre holiday album, One Wish (2003), Houston spent subsequent years in a state of virtual retirement.

In February 2009 she began a comeback effort with a four-song set at Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy Awards gala. The performance was greeted warmly, and in June Houston announced that an album of new material would be available later that year. I Look to You was released in August to positive reviews, and standout songs included the up-tempo “Million Dollar Bill” (penned by Alicia Keys ) and the title track, a slow-building ballad written by R. Kelly . In February 2012 Houston died in a bathtub at a Beverly Hills hotel shortly before Davis’s pre-Grammy party. A coroner’s report released in March stated that the cause of death was accidental drowning , with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. Houston posthumously appeared in the musical film Sparkle (2012), which she had coproduced. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

In January 2015 Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was found unconscious in a bathtub at her home near Atlanta. She died in July.

Whitney Houston

• Born August 9 , 1963 · Newark, New Jersey, USA
• Died February 11 , 2012 · Beverly Hills, California, USA (accidental drowning)
• Birth name Whitney Elizabeth Houston
• The Prom Queen of Soul
• The Princess of Pop
• Height 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
• Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born into a musical family on 9 August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of gospel star Cissy Houston (née Emily Lee Drinkard) and John Russell Houston, Jr., and cousin of singing star Dionne Warwick . She began singing in the choir at her church, The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, as a young child and by the age of 15 was singing backing vocals professionally with her mother on Chaka Khan 's 1978 hit, 'I'm Every Woman'. She went on to provide backing vocals for Lou Rawls, Jermaine Jackson and her own mother and worked briefly as a model, appearing on the cover of 'Seventeen' magazine in 1981. She began working as a featured vocalist for the New York-based funk band Material and it was the quality of her vocal work with them that attracted the attention of the major record labels, including Arista with whom she signed in 1983 and where she stayed for the rest of her career. Her debut album, 'Whitney Houston', was released in 1985 and became the biggest-selling album by a debut artist. Several hit singles, including 'Saving All My Love For You', 'How Will I Know', 'You Give Good Love', and 'The Greatest Love of All', were released from the album, setting her up for a Beatles-beating seven consecutive US number ones. The album itself sold 3 million copies in its first year in the US and went on to sell 25 million worldwide, winning her the first of her six Grammies. The 1987 follow-up album, 'Whitney', which included the hits 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' and 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', built on her success but it was the 1992 film The Bodyguard (1992) that sealed her place as one of the best-selling artists of all time. While the movie itself and her performance in it were not highly praised, the soundtrack album and her cover of the Dolly Parton song 'I Will Always Love You' topped the singles and albums charts for months and sold 44 million copies around the world. That same year she married ex-New Edition singer Bobby Brown with whom she had her only child, their daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in March 1993. It was about this time that her much documented drug use began and by 1996 she was a daily user. Her 1998 album, 'My Love Is Your Love' was well reviewed but the drug abuse began to affect her reputation and press reports at the time said that she was becoming difficult to work with, if she turned up at all. She was dropped from a performance at The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) because she was "out of it" at rehearsals. Her weight fluctuated wildly - she was so thin at a 'Michael Jackson' tribute in 2001 that rumors circulated the next day that she had died - and her voice began to fail her. She was twice admitted to rehab and declared herself drug-free in 2010 but returned to rehab in May 2011. Her 2009 comeback album 'I Look To You' was positively received and sold well, but promotional performances were still marred by her weakened voice. Her final acting performance was in Sparkle (2012) (a remake of the 1976 movie, Sparkle (1976) ), released after her death. She was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room on 11 February 2012. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
• Spouse Bobby Brown (July 18, 1992 - April 24, 2007) (divorced, 1 child)
• Children Bobbi Kristina Brown
• Parents Cissy Houston John Russell Houston Jr.
• Relatives Michael Houston (Sibling) Gary Houston (Half Sibling) Dionne Warwick (Cousin) Dee Dee Warwick (Cousin) Rayah Houston (Niece or Nephew) David Elliott (Cousin) Damon Elliott (Cousin) John Houston III (Half Sibling) Gary Houston (Sibling)
• Powerful mezzo-soprano vocals
• Her beautiful smile
• Because she passed away the night before the 54th Grammy Awards (2012), the host for the evening, LL Cool J , opened the show with a tribute and a prayer in her honor.
• One of the last times Whitney Houston was seen on camera was at a rehearsal for Monica and Brandy's performance at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party. At the time, Brandy did not know that Houston had planned a surprise birthday party for her on the night she passed away.
• Her mother was at one time a background singer for Elvis Presley .
• Her powerful rendition of "I Will Always Love You", from The Bodyguard (1992) , was ranked #65 on the American Film Institute's list of "The 100 Years of The Greatest Songs".
• Once "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" hit #1 in April 1988, she was honored as the first artist in history to ever have seven consecutive Billboard number one singles. An accomplishment that she still holds to this day.
• I almost wish I could be more exciting, that I could match what is happening out there to me.
• I've got a good man. He takes care of me. I don't have to be scared of anything because I know he will kick every ass... disrespect him and you've got a problem.
• God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?
• I was aware of people staring at me. No one moved. They seemed almost in trance. I just stared at the clock in the center of the church. When I finished, everyone clapped and started crying.
• I know that I could really kill for my daughter. I know because I'm living for her, so I'm fierce when it comes down to it. And I feel the same about my husband and my family. I'm just fiercely protective. It's like, that's my lair and nobody messes with my lair.
• The Preacher's Wife (1996) - $10,000,000

Contribute to this page

• Learn more about contributing

More from this person

• View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro

More to explore

Recently viewed.

• Apple Music

With over 200 million combined album, singles and videos sold worldwide during her career with Arista Records, Whitney Houston has established a benchmark for superstardom that will quite simply never be eclipsed in the modern era. She is a singer’s singer who has influenced countless other vocalists female and male.

Music historians cite Whitney’s record-setting achievements: the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits (“Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love Of All,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”); the first female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at #1 (her second album, Whitney , 1987); and one of a select number of solo artists with eight consecutive multi-platinum albums ( Whitney Houston, Whitney, I’m Your Baby Tonight, The Bodyguard, Waiting To Exhale , and The Preacher’s Wife soundtracks; My Love Is Your Love and Whitney: The Greatest Hits ).

In fact, The Bodyguard soundtrack is one of the top 5 biggest-selling albums of all-time (at 18x-platinum in the U.S. alone), and Whitney’s career-defining version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist (at 10x-platinum, Diamond, for physical and digital in the U.S. alone).

Born into a musical family on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, Whitney’s success might’ve been foretold. Her legendary heritage is as familiar as America’s greatest icons: the daughter of famed singer Cissy Houston (who made her name in the Drinkards gospel quartet, and later the Sweet Inspirations vocal group of Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley renown); and the cousin of singers Dee Dee Warwick (who introduced the original ’60s versions of “You’re No Good” and “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”) and her sister, superstar Dionne Warwick. Whitney’s mother and cousins nurtured her passion for gospel music since birth. As a teenager, Whitney was already singing on the scene in New York, and records with her first young performances in the ’70s and early ’80s album credits with such eclectic acts as Michael Zager, Chaka Khan, Herbie Mann, the Neville Brothers, Bill Laswell’s Material, and others are much sought-after collector’s items.

In 1983, near the end of Arista’s first mega-successful decade of operation, Clive Davis was taken to a New York nightclub where Whitney was performing and signed her on the spot. Two years went into the making of her debut album, but the results were worth it. The self-titled Whitney Houston (February 1985) launched Arista’s second decade, and yielded a string of hits including “You Give Good Love” and three consecutive #1 singles, the GRAMMY-winning “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” and “Greatest Love of All,” which has become a veritable anthem. Not only did the album establish her as an important new recording artist, but it went on to sell over 13 million copies in the U.S., plus many millions more abroad. This LP set the record as the biggest selling debut album by a solo artist.

With the highly anticipated release of her second album Whitney (June 1987), she made history as the first female artist to enter the Billboard album charts at #1. The new album soared past 10x-platinum on the strength of four #1 chart-toppers, the GRAMMY-winning “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” This established Whitney as the only artist ever to have seven consecutive #1 hits, surpassing a record previously set by The Beatles and the Bee Gees.

Whitney’s third best-selling album, I’m Your Baby Tonight (November 1990), displayed her versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. With back-to-back #1 hits for the title tune and “All The Man That I Need,” followed by “Miracle” and “My Name Is Not Susan,” sales records were set once again, as the album became an international multi-platinum best-seller, to the tune of 10 million copies worldwide.

After establishing her screen appeal in her well-received music videos where she dominated MTV’s rotations during its first decade on the air, Whitney finally made her movie debut in The Bodyguard (November 1992), in which she co-starred with Oscar-winning actor/director Kevin Costner. The film not only broke box office records worldwide but was ultimately responsible for the biggest selling motion picture soundtrack album of all time, voted the GRAMMY-winning Album Of the Year.

“I Will Always Love You,” the first single release, became the biggest selling single by a female artist in history, and reaped GRAMMYs for Record Of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Three other singles from the album, “I’m Every Woman,” “I Have Nothing,” and “Run To You,” also were major international hits for Whitney. The Bodyguard soundtrack album, featuring six Whitney Houston songs in all, has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. At 18-times platinum in the U.S., it is the biggest selling motion picture soundtrack album in history, ahead of Saturday Night Fever, Forrest Gump, Titanic , and so on.

Film work continued with Waiting To Exhale (which opened December 1995, preceded by the soundtrack album in November). The critically acclaimed film, starring Whitney with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, and directed by Forrest Whitaker, went on to gross over $80 million (in ’90s dollars). The soundtrack for Waiting To Exhale featured three new tracks from Whitney: the #1 Pop/#1 R&B “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”; the top 10 Pop and R&B follow-up “Count On Me” (a duet with CeCe Winans), co-written by Whitney and Babyface; and “Why Does It Hurt So Bad.” The album spent five weeks at #1, was certified 7x-platinum in the U.S., and has sold nearly twice that worldwide to date.

Whitney’s third motion picture, The Preacher’s Wife (Buena Vista, December 1996), also starring Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance, and directed by Penny Marshall, was based on the 1947 classic, The Bishop’s Wife (with Cary Grant and Loretta Young). The gospel-soaked Arista soundtrack, Whitney’s lifelong dream, became the biggest-selling gospel album in Billboard chart history, 3x-platinum in the U.S. alone. Collaborations with an extraordinary roster of artists and producers (among them GRAMMY and Dove Award winner Mervyn Warren of Sister Act and Sister Act II fame) resulted in a unique album. Whitney sang lead vocals on 14 of the album’s 15 tracks, including the beautiful first single “I Believe In You And Me,” “Step By Step” (written by Annie Lennox), and two songs produced by GRAMMY award winner Babyface. Cissy turned the familiar 23rd Psalm into a spiritually touching song, “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” while other luminaries on the album included Shirley Caesar and the Georgia Mass Choir.

Whitney added the medium of made-for-television movies to her list of accomplishments when The Wonderful World of Disney aired the musical Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella in November 1997. The special starred Whitney as the Fairy Godmother, Brandy as Cinderella, Bernadette Peters as the wicked stepmother, Whoopi Goldberg as the queen, and an all-star multicultural cast. The program drew a U.S. audience of more than 60 million viewers, and gave the ABC network its highest Sunday night rating in over a decade. Whitney and her company, BrownHouse Productions, served as executive producers on the project, which garnered seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy Special and won for Outstanding Art Direction. The home video version shattered previous records to become the best-selling video ever of a made-for-television movie.

The next year, fans ecstatically received Whitney’s first non-soundtrack related studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (November 1998), which she produced with Clive Davis. Whitney proved her ability to stay absolutely contemporary with the first single, the #1 R&B/ #2 Pop “Heartbreak Hotel” featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price. It was the beginning of a string of gold and platinum chart hit singles from the album spanning nearly a year and a half (into the spring 2000): the GRAMMY-winning “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”; “When You Believe” (a duet with Mariah Carey, from The Prince Of Egypt ); the title tune “My Love Is Your Love”; and “I Learned From the Best” (written by Diane Warren, produced and arranged by David Foster).

The success of My Love Is Your Love kicked off a phenomenal year for Whitney. She stole the show at VH1’s second annual “Divas Live/99,” with a performance characterized as “invincible” by Jon Pareles in The New York Times . Sharing the stage with a lineup that included Cher, Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige and others, Whitney emerged as the star. VH1 announced that the show was the highest-rated telecast in its history.

At the same time, gold, platinum and multi-platinum album sales were certified in every corner of the globe: Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and more. In July 1999, as “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” became the 17th Top 5 pop hit of her career, Whitney commenced a successful world tour playing 14 cities in North America. The tour concluded in Europe in November.

At the 42nd annual GRAMMY Awards in February 2000, 15 months after the album release, Whitney received her sixth career GRAMMY, as “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” was voted Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Winning her first R&B GRAMMY award in a category that included Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Faith Evans, and Macy Gray was extremely gratifying for Whitney, especially after three previous GRAMMY awards for Best Female Pop Vocal: in 1985 (“Saving All My Love For You”), 1987 (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”), and 1993 (“I Will Always Love You”).

A month later in March 2000, Whitney was named Female Artist Of the Decade at the Soul Train Music Awards annual ceremonies virtually 15 years to the day since her debut single, “You Give Good Love,” entered the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart on March 9, 1985.

In the midst of her 15th anniversary year as an Arista recording artist, the double-album Whitney: The Greatest Hits (May 2000) celebrated the past, present and future. In addition to newly-recorded tracks with Enrique Iglesias, Deborah Cox, George Michael, and Q-Tip, there were rare vintage tracks unavailable for a decade, impossible-to-find club mixes, and bonus tracks. The collection encompassed Whitney’s success as a mainstay on the pop and R&B singles front (on the double-CD/cassette), as a screen presence since her career began at the label (on DVD and VHS home-video), and in the clubs as a remixer’s delight (on a limited edition four-record vinyl box-set).

Individually, the double-CD/cassette comprised one volume of single hits (Cool Down) and another volume of memorable club mixes (Throw Down), each spanning Whitney’s entire career to date, 1985 to 2000. She recorded new duets for the occasion with Enrique Iglesias (the Diane Warren composition, “Could I Have This Kiss Forever”), and then-Arista label-mate Deborah Cox (“Same Script, Different Cast”), plus a new version of “If I Told You That” (from My Love Is Your Love ), remade as a duet with George Michael.

Hard-to-find rarities included “One Moment In Time,” the 1988 Summer Olympics theme; 1991’s Super Bowl XXV version of “The Star Spangled Banner”; and a 1986 duet with Jermaine Jackson (“If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful”) released only on his second Arista album, Precious Moments , never as a single.

The two U.S. CDs (and cassettes) were programmed so that each volume displayed the full range of Whitney’s career. Disc 1 (Cool Down), for example, built from her first hits of 1985, “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love For You,” and “Greatest Love Of All,” all the way through 2000. Disc 2 (Throw Down) recapped the hits from My Love Is Your Love with club remixes of “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” “My Love Is Your Love,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “I Learned From The Best” followed by 10 more hits remixed by Junior Vasquez, David Morales, Jellybean, Hex Hector, C+C Music Factory’s Clivilles & Cole, and others.

Those remixers were showcased on Whitney: The Unreleased Mixes , a special limited-edition four-record vinyl box-set acknowledging her importance in clubs around the world. There were seven songs, eight mixes, one track on each side of four 12-inch vinyl discs: “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love Of All,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Love Will Save the Day,” “I Will Always Love You,” “So Emotional,” and “I’m Your Baby Tonight.”

Whitney: The Greatest Hits also was the title of Whitney’s first DVD and VHS home-video collection. The lion’s share of her hits were included in its 23 titles, a combination of video clips (with such noted directors as Wayne Isham, Peter Israelson, Julien Temple, Randee St. Nicholas, Brian Grant, and Kevin Bray), and live performance. Links were provided to such rarities as her television premiere (on “The Merv Griffin Show” in 1983), appearances on several awards shows, a tune from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella , interview segments featuring Whitney and her co-producer, Arista president Clive Davis, and much more.

The week after the release of Whitney: The Greatest Hits , she appeared on the NBC television network special benefit concert “25 Years of #1 Hits: Arista Records’ Anniversary Celebration,” a tribute to the label as well as its founder and leader, Clive Davis.

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster of September 11, 2001, Whitney’s soaring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” was the first benefit single to be issued, coupled with her version of “America the Beautiful.” The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, Inc. and Arista Records agreed to donate royalties and net proceeds from all single sales to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. Both groups as well as the families of those affected by the tragic event were to benefit from the sales.

The following year saw the release of Just Whitney (December 2002), her fifth studio album and first for the new millennium. An A-list of handpicked hitmakers and producers contributed to the album, among them Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Missy Elliott, Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs, Teddy Bishop and Gordon Chambers. The diverse program of ballads included “Try It On My Own,” (written by Babyface and Carole Bayer Sager); “My Love” (a duet with Bobby Brown); and a powerful remake of Debby Boone’s 1977 “You Light Up My Life.” Also among the album’s gems were such hip grooves as “Love That Man” and the old-school style jam “Things You Say” (written and produced by Missy Elliott).

Every artist’s first Christmas collection is a special career landmark, and Whitney’s One Wish: The Holiday Album (November 2003) was no exception. Whitney worked with producers and arrangers Troy Taylor, Mervyn Warren, and the team of Gordon Chambers and Barry J. Eastmond on a joyous mix of yuletide favorites from the traditional and contemporary songbooks, along with several new compositions.

The album opened with the classic “The First Nöel” and Mel Tormé’s timeless “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire).” Other favorites included Freddie Jackson’s “One Wish (For Christmas),” “Cantique De Nöel (O Holy Night),” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “O Come O Come Emanuel,” and a medley of “Deck The Halls/Silent Night.” Two tracks originated on The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack, “Who Would Imagine A King” and “Joy To The World.” The centerpiece was 10-year old daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown’s recording debut on “Little Drummer Boy.”

Guinness World Records lists Whitney as music’s “most awarded female artist of all time,” with an amazing tally of 411 awards (as of 2006) a tally that is certainly topped by her six GRAMMY Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, two Emmy Award nominations and one win, as well as MTV VMAs in the U.S. and Europe, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and so on. She received the Nickelodeon “Kids Choice” award (she was inducted into the “Kids Choice” Hall Of Fame in 1996), the Dove (Gospel Music Association) Award, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award. Whitney was inducted into the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk Of Fame in 1996; and received Soul Train’s prestigious Quincy Jones Career Achievement Award in 1998.

True to her church upbringing, the Whitney Houston Foundation For Children Inc. was established in 1989 as a non-profit organization that cared for such problems as homelessness, children with cancer and AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment. In June 1995, the Foundation was awarded a VH1 Honor for its charitable work. Funds were raised for numerous causes involving children around the world, from South Africa to Newark, and generated over $300,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund as a result of a 1997 HBO concert. In 2020, The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation was formed as a continuation of Whitney’s journey to Rebuild lives, Restore self-esteem and Repair images through grassroots programs and initiatives for the young.

Whitney’s tireless efforts earned recognition from such organizations as St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the United Negro College Fund, and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, all of whom have benefited from the heart and soul of a great artist and humanitarian.  Whitney continued her charitable works with her sister-in-law, Patricia Houston, who started a nonprofit organization in 2007 called Teen Summit. Teen Summit was formed to Rebuild, Restore and Repair the lives of teens and young adults.  Whitney attended the annual event and also helped Pat with Celebrity Consignment, a shop in Shelby, North Carolina which also benefits Teen Summit. Whitney not only donated clothes to the shop but was instrumental in getting celebs like Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Dionne Warwick, Diane Sawyer and others to donate as well.  Teen Summit was able to open its first academy on January 26, 2013.

Whitney’s seventh and final studio album, I Look To You, was released on August 28, 2009 and it debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with sales of 305,000 copies and was her first studio album to reach #1 since 1992’s The Bodyguard . The album spawned two hit singles – the title track which became a Top 20 R&B single and “Million Dollar Bill” which hit the Top 10 in several countries worldwide. A promotional single, “Nothin’ But Love,” taken from the album was released to U.K. radio stations to promote what was to be her final tour – the Nothing But Love World Tour.

In the fall of 2011, Whitney got to fulfill her lifelong dream of bringing a remake of the film Sparkle to the silver screen. Filming took place in Detroit for six weeks commencing in October 2011. Whitney played the role of the mother, Emma, as well as being Executive Producer of the film. Sparkle was released in August 2012. Along with Sparkle , Whitney had been working on a remake of a Judy Garland film and a Waiting To Exhale sequel.

Whitney’s tragic passing on February 11, 2012 is still deeply felt by her family, friends and millions of fans worldwide. Her Estate is committed to keeping her legacy alive. To that end, they along with Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings have released Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances in 2014, I Wish You Love: More From The Bodyguard in 2017, and Whitney Houston 35th Anniversary Edition , a 2LP box set in 2020.

An official documentary, directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald (titled Whitney ) was released in 2018. The film was nominated for Best Music Film at the GRAMMY Awards, and for Outstanding Documentary Film at the NAACP Image Awards.

In July 2019, Whitney achieved her first posthumous Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Higher Love,” released as a single with producer and DJ Kygo. The song hit #1 on two Billboard dance charts and reached #2 on the U.K. Official Singles chart. In October that year, a special version of Whitney’s 1987 recording of “Do You Hear What I Hear” was released on The Best Of Pentatonix Christmas .

In September 2019, The Estate of Whitney E. Houston and BASE Hologram announced An Evening With Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour , an awe-inspiring and immersive live theatrical concert experience celebrating the incredible music and everlasting legacy of Whitney Houston. The tour launched in February 2020 in the United Kingdom and began an extended residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas in October 2021.

Nearly 35 years after the release of her debut album, Whitney was honored with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 in recognition that her unique fusion of pop, R&B and gospel – the very roots of rock & roll – subverted genres and influenced just about every contemporary vocalist. That same year, Whitney became the first African-American recording artist (male or female, solo or group) with three Diamond albums, after her second album, Whitney , was certified 10x platinum.

A new remix of “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston x Clean Bandit was released in September 2021, and an official biopic, titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody , was released in theaters in December 2022. Whitney’s contributions continue to touch the hearts and souls of millions of fans the world over.

Whitney: Tribute To An Icon

In this magnificent collection, more than 20 of the world’s top photographers have joined together to celebrate the brilliant woman they were privileged to capture through their camera lenses. These photographs are a testament to Whitney’s dazzling physical presence, but they also remind us that she was a multidimensional woman: powerful, vulnerable, commanding, enchanting, thoughtful, bewitching … and absolutely unforgettable—a singer whose smile was as bright and true as her voice.

• Entertainment
• Top Artists

Whitney Houston Biography and Profile

• Alternative Music
• Classical Music
• Country Music
• Rap & Hip Hop
• Rhythm & Blues
• World Music
• Heavy Metal
• Latin Music

Whitney Houston has been cited by the Guinness Book of Records as the most awarded female performer of all time. She sold more than 170 million records worldwide.

Whitney Houston's Early Life and Relations

Whitney Houston was born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother was gospel and R&B singer Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick was a cousin. She also counted singer Darlene Love as godmother and Aretha Franklin as an honorary aunt. 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

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, one of the first Black women to do so. She made an appearance on the 1982 album One Down by Bill Laswell's avant funk band Material. Whitney Houston sang the ballad "Memories." Whitney Houston was given multiple offers for a recording contract in the early 1980s, but her mother insisted that she complete high school first. Finally, legendary music executive Clive Davis signed Whitney 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  for his solo album Love Language . It became a top five R&B hit in 1984. It was also later included on her debut album. That collection titled  Whitney Houston was released in February 1985. She immediately received rave critical reviews. 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 hitting #1 on the R&B chart in May 1985. It then started to climb the pop chart and ultimately landed at #3 in July. The following three singles all topped the pop singles chart. The album hit #1 on the album chart a year after its release and stayed there for 14 weeks. It ultimately sold over 13 million copies in the US. At the time, it was the bestselling debut album ever by a solo artist.

Whitney Houston's album earned three Grammy Award nominations in 1986 including for Album of the Year. The early appearance in a duet with Teddy Pendergrass made Whitney Houston ineligible for the Best New Artist category. Her performance on the song "Saving All My Love For You," Whitney Houston's first #1 pop hit, also won her first Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal.

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 the  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. The success of concert tours helped Whitney Houston break into the Forbes list of the top 10 moneymaking entertainers.

Whitney Houston repeated her Grammy Awards success in 1988 with three more nominations including a second for Album of the Year. She also won the Best Female Pop Vocal for a second time with "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

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

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

I'm Your Baby Tonight

In response to some critics that her first two albums were "selling out" to white audiences, 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 during the Gulf War and it was hailed as one of the most stunning televised performances ever. A single of the performance was released and it reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Whitney Houston became the first artist to turn the national anthem into a top 40 hit.

Whitney Houston's Acting and The Bodyguard

In the early 1990s Whitney Houston branched out beyond music into acting. Her first role was co-starring with Kevin Costner in 1992's The Bodyguard . She recorded six songs for the soundtrack of the film, and one of these, a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," became the biggest hit of her career and one of the biggest pop hits of all time staying at #1 for 14 weeks. Whitney Houston later starred in the feature films Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife . "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," released in 1995 on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, became Whitney Houston's final #1 pop hit.

My 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, Return, and Death

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 she 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 party in February 2009. She released the album in August, 2009. It debuted at #1 and was ultimately certified platinum. The title song and "Million Dollar Bill" were top 20 R&B hits.

In late 2011 reports surfaced that Whitney Houston was planning to produce and star in a remake of the 1976 film Sparkle . However, she was found dead February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California just hours before the annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy Awards party. At the Grammy Awards ceremony itself, Jennifer Hudson performed "I Will Always Love You" in tribute.

The invitation-only memorial service at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey was originally scheduled to last only two hours, but it ultimately went on for four. A wide range of top R&B and gospel artists performed live at the service including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, and CeCe Winans. Clive Davis, Kevin Costner, and Dionne Warwick all spoke at the service.

• Barbra Streisand Biography: Her Life and Career
• Top Pop Music Artists Of The '80s
• Michael Jackson Biography and Profile
• Sia Biography and Career as Songwriter and Performer
• Biography of Cher, Grammy Award Winning Singer
• Biography of Zayn Malik
• Profile of '80s Superstar and Pop Music Wizard Prince
• Prince Biography
• Biography of Beyonce, Queen of 21st Century R&B
• Neil Diamond Biography: Legendary Pop Singer-Songwriter
• Biography of Niall Horan
• Biography of The Chainsmokers
• Biography of Pentatonix
• Justin Bieber
• Biography of Daft Punk
• Biography of Sam Smith

Whitney Houston - Biography

Whitney Houston Biography

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963, Newark, New Jersey ) is an American pop , R&B and soul singer and actress. She was one of the most popular and successful singers of the 1980s and 1990s.

Early Years

Houston is a singer who grew up in a musical family: Her mother is Grammy award winning gospel/R&B singer Cissy Houston , and her cousin is Grammy Award winning pop singer Dionne Warwick . By age 11, Houston was performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist church in Newark. As a teenager, she began accompanying her mother in concert (as well as on the 1978 album Think It Over).

She was a backing singer with established acts, such as Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls , as well as the lead vocalist on the Michael Zager Band's single 'Life's A Party'.

Somewhat bizarrely, Houston's first recording as a featured vocalist was with Bill Laswell 's experimental jazz-funk ensemble Material ; their 1982 album One Down placed Houston alongside such avant-gardists as Archie Shepp and Fred Frith . She also appeared as a model in various magazines, appearing on the cover of 'Seventeen' and as an actress in television shows such as Give Me A Break and Silver Spoons .' (Steve Huey, All Music Guide)

Debut Album

By 1983, Whitney Houston had entered a worldwide contract with Arista Records after Arista chief Clive Davis heard Houston perform at a nightclub with her mother. The following year had her first commercial success when 'Hold Me', a duet with Teddy Pendergrass , crept into the US Top 50 on the pop singles chart while reaching the top 5 of the R&B charts. However, the rest of that year was taken up with the recording of a debut album. Clive Davis, who had taken a strong personal interest in the vocalist, insisted on selecting the best songwriters and producers in search of the definitive debut album.

Her self titled debut was released in March of 1985, from which time it would begin its slow stalking of the album charts. Its steady climb was encouraged by the success of the singles 'You Give Good Love' and 'Saving All My Love For You', which hit numbers 3 and 1, respectively. The latter single also saw her on top of the charts in the UK and much of the rest of the world. The disco-influenced 'How Will I Know' and the more soul-flavored 'Greatest Love Of All', both topped the US charts in rapid succession.

A year to the month after its release, Whitney Houston hit number one on the album charts. It eventually sold over 13-million copies in the U.S. alone, making it the best-selling debut ever by an American female artist. Her success was acknowledged by a series of prestigious awards, notably a Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female Grammy for 'Saving All My Love For You' and an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Program On TV.

Whitney Houston cemented her superstar status on her next album, Whitney . Despite the unimaginative title, it sold over nine-million copies in the U.S' (Steve Huey, All Music Guide). 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)', released in 1987, topped charts around the world, paving the way for Houston to become the first album by a female artist to debut at number 1 on the US album chart, a feat it also achieved in the UK.

The album included a version of 'I Know Him So Well', sang as a duet with her mother Cissy, and the ballad 'Didn't We Almost Have It All' which became her fifth successive US number 1 shortly afterwards. However, even this was surpassed when 'So Emotional' and 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' continued the sequence, making seven consecutive number one hits, breaking a record previously shared by the Beatles and the Bee Gees . In 1988, she made a controversial appearance at Nelson Mandela 's 70th Birthday Party, where other acts accused her of behaving like a prima donna. By September, 'Love Will Save The Day' had finally broken the winning sequence in the USA where it could only manage number 9.

Another series of awards followed, including the Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female Grammy for 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' and Pop Female Vocal and Soul/R&B Female Vocal categories at the American Music Awards. Rumors abounded of film offers alongside such actors as Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy , however Houston turned down all movie offers at this time.

I'm Your Baby Tonight

Her recording of the title track to the 1988 Olympics tribute, 'One Moment In Time', restored her to US Top 5 prominence and topped the UK singles chart. The follow-up single 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' put Houston back on top of the US singles chart. Despite the relatively modest success of the album of the same name (number 3 in the US charts), 'All The Man That I Need' compensated by becoming her ninth number 1. She became permanently enshrined in the hearts of the American public, however, when she took the microphone to perform 'The Star Spangled Banner' at Super Bowl XXV in Miami. The public response ensured that the version emerged as a single shortly afterwards. The single went gold and helped to raise funds for The American Red Cross . She also performed the song and her other hits at Norfolk, VA as she welcomed back US troops returning from the Gulf War with a highly rated HBO concert.

Early to mid-'90s

The bodyguard.

In July 1992, Whitney Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown ; the relationship would prove turbulent. The same year she made a credible acting debut in the movie 'The Bodyguard' alongside Kevin Costner . Houston recorded six songs for the phenomenally successful soundtrack album - powerful cover versions of Dolly Parton 's 'I Will Always Love You', which topped the US chart for 14 weeks and the UK charts for 10, and Chaka Khan's 'I'm Every Woman', in addition to 'I Have Nothing', 'Run To You', 'Queen of the Night' and 'Jesus Loves Me'. The album went on to sell 17 million copies in the U.S. making it the best selling soundtrack album of all time. The movie went on to gross $120 million + in the U.S. and over $410 million worldwide, making Whitney Houston a movie star was well as a pop music star.

Houston won numerous awards in 1993 including Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. In 1993, Houston gave birth to her only child, a daughter, who she named Bobbi Kristina Brown. In 1994, Whitney Houston became the first American singer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. Her concerts raised money to aid South Africa's children.

Waiting to Exhale

In 1995, Waiting to Exhale was released. The movie was very successful, earning over $70 million in the U.S. alone. The all female African-American soundtrack was an even bigger hit, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. It was written and produced by Houston's close friend Babyface . It featured three songs by Houston, the # 1 hit 'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)', a top ten duet with gospel artist CeCe Winans , 'Count On Me' and 'Why Does It Hurt So Bad' an emotional song about love gone wrong.

Late '90s to present

The preacher's wife.

In 1996, Whitney Houston co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Preacher's Wife , a remake of the 1947 classic, The Bishop's Wife . The movie did not do as well as the others, but still brought over $48 million in the U.S. The soundtrack, a Gospel dominated album with 14 new songs from Houston, sold poorly compared to her previous releases. However, it is still the best selling Gospel album of the Billboard Era with sales of more than 3 million copies. The two big singles from the album were the top five hit 'I Believe In You And Me' and the surprise Pop and Dance hit 'Step By Step'.

In 1997, Houston starred in and produced a multicultural version of the classic fairly tale 'Cinderella'. When Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on ABC-TV on November 2, 1997, it was watched by over 60 million Americans. The movie went on to win an Emmy Award and has become the best selling video ever of a made-for-TV movie.

My Love Is Your Love

Houston spent most of the '90s concentrating on her acting career, but made a surprise return to the studio for 1998's My Love Is Your Love . The album, which was supposed to be a greatest hits collection, instead featured 13 new tracks from Houston.

Enlisting the songwriting help of Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott , Diane Warren and Wyclef Jean , among others, the album was a confident attempt by Houston to reclaim her sonic glory of years past. 'When You Believe', a duet with Mariah Carey taken from the animated DreamWorks movie The Prince Of Egypt , was a transatlantic hit. With the album selling poorly, however, Houston's fortunes were revived by the US #2 single, 'Heartbreak Hotel'. The atypical and hard-hitting 'It's Not Right But It's Okay', and the reggae inspired title track, both were US/UK Top 5 hit singles. 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'It's Not Right, But It's Okay', 'My Love Is Your Love', and the fifth single from My Love Is Your Love, 'I Learned From The Best' all went on to become #1 dance hits for Whitney, making her one of the club scenes hottest artists. Houston also performed at VH1 's Divas Live! in 1999, helping make it the highest rated show in VH1 history at that time.

The Greatest Hits

In 2000, Houston got into trouble as she was found with marijuana at an airport in Hawaii and she skipped out on a performance at the Oscars. Nevertheless, in 2000, Arista released, Whitney: The Greatest Hits , a two CD compilation of Houston's biggest hits. Disc One- Cool Down featured a collection of her ballads as well as two new tracks, 'Could I Have This Kiss Forever' (a duet with Enrique Iglesias ) and 'Same Script, Different Cast' (a duet with Deborah Cox ). Both songs received considerable airplay in the U.S. Disc Two- Throw Down, is a collection of her dance songs and remixes. It also featured two new songs, 'Fine' and 'If I Told You That' (a duet with George Michael ). Neither song made a splash in the U.S., however they were hits internationally.

The Greatest Hits has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. In 2001, Houston and Arista Records agreed to re-release her version of the Star Spangled Banner to benefit the families of police officers and firefighters killed during the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It sold more than 300,000 copies, raised more than $1 million, and earned Whitney yet another Top 10 single as it peaked at #6.

Just Whitney

In November of 2002, Houston released her 5th non-soundtrack studio album, Just Whitney . The lead off single, 'Whatchulookinat', is an attack on the media for their reporting about her personal life. The song did poorly worldwide. The follow up singles 'One of Those Days' and 'Try It Own My Own' also failed to make much of an impact. The album has sold one million copies in the U.S.

In October of 2003, Houston released a holiday album, One Wish . The album's single, 'One Wish', barely registered a pulse on radio and the album made a poor showing on the charts, selling about 500,000 copies.

Controversy

In the year 2000 Houston's public image became tarnished when it was revealed that she had been battling spousal abuse with her husband. Additionally she had clearly lost a great deal of weight and this, coupled with shaky (if not cancelled) public performances gave way to rumours of cocaine addiction.

In 2002, Houston admitted in a television interview to abusing cocaine, marijuana , and various other drugs. She claimed to have stopped using illegal drugs, but was seemingly making this admission to address the rumours circulating about her lifestyle. During said interview, Houston's comment about having never used crack cocaine because it was 'for poor people,' caused a new uproar. In March of 2004, Houston entered a drug rehab program in California. Over the spring and summer of 2004 Houston performed at a few concerts in Europe (Soul Divas Tour with Natalie Cole) and her own concert tour in Asia. In September of 2004 she made a surprise appearance at the World Music Awards to sing for Clive Davis . They annouced that they would soon commence working on a new album for Houston to be released in 2005 .

Discography

• 1985 Whitney Houston #1 US, #2 UK, US Sales: 13 Million
• 1987 Whitney #1 US, #1 UK, US Sales: 9 Million
• 1990 I'm Your Baby Tonight #3 US, #4 UK, US Sales: 4 Million
• 1992 The Bodyguard OST #1 US, #1 UK, US Sales: 17 Million
• 1995 Waiting To Exhale OST #1 US, #8 UK, US Sales: 7 Million
• 1996 The Preacher's Wife OST #3 US, #35 UK, US Sales: 3 Million
• 1998 My Love Is Your Love #13 US, #4 UK, US Sales: 4 Million
• 2000 Whitney: The Greatest Hits #5 US, #1 UK, US Sales: 3 Million
• 2001 Love, Whitney #22 UK
• 2002 Just Whitney #9 US, US Sales: 1 Million
• 2003 One Wish: The Holiday Album #49 US

Total US Sales: 61 million

As shown in www.riaa.com

Hit Singles

• 1984 'Hold Me' #47 US
• 1985 'You Give Good Love' #3 US
• 1985 'Saving All My Love for You' #1 US, #1 UK
• 1985 'How Will I Know' #1 US, #5 UK (1986 release)
• 1986 'Greatest Love of All' #1 US, #8 UK
• 1987 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' #1 US, #1 UK
• 1987 'Didn't We Almost Have It All' #1 US, #14 UK
• 1987 'So Emotional' #1 US, #5 UK
• 1988 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' #1 US, #14 UK
• 1988 'Love Will Save the Day' #9 US, #10 UK
• 1988 'One Moment in Time' #5 US, #1 UK
• 1989 'It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be' (with Aretha Franklin) #29 UK
• 1990 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' #1 US, #5 UK
• 1990 'All the Man That I Need' #1 US, #13 UK
• 1991 'Miracle' #9 US
• 1991 'My Name Is Not Susan' #20 US, #29 UK
• 1991 'The Star-Spangled Banner' #20 US
• 1992 'I Will Always Love You' #1 US, #1 UK
• 1993 'I'm Every Woman' #4 US, #4 UK
• 1993 'I Have Nothing' #4 US, #3 UK
• 1993 'Run to You' #31 US, #15 UK
• 1993 'Queen of the Night' #14 UK
• 1994 'Something in Common' (with Bobby Brown) #16 UK
• 1995 'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)' #1 US, #11 UK
• 1996 'Count on Me' (with CeCe Winans) #8 US, #12 UK
• 1996 'I Believe in You and Me' #4 US, #16 UK (1997 release)
• 1996 'Why Does It Hurt So Bad' #26 US
• 1996 'Step by Step' #15 US (1997 release), #17 UK
• 1998 'When You Believe' (with Mariah Carey) #15 US, #4 UK
• 1998 'Heartbreak Hotel' (feat. Faith Evans and Kelly Price) #2 US, #25 UK (2000 release)
• 1999 'It's Not Right But It's OK' #4 US, #3 UK
• 1999 'My Love Is Your Love' #4 US, #2 UK
• 1999 'I Learned From the Best' #19 UK, #27 US (2000 release)
• 2000 'If I Told You That' (with George Michael) #9 UK
• 2000 'Could I Have This Kiss Forever' (with Enrique Iglesias) #7 UK
• 2001 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (re-issue) #6 US
• 2002 'Whatchulookinat' #13 UK
• 2002 'One Of Those Days' #75 US
• 1992 'The Bodyguard' (121.9 million US, 410.9 million worldwide)
• 1995 'Waiting to Exhale' (67.0 million US, 81.4 million worldwide)
• 1996 'The Preacher's Wife' (48.1 million US, 60.0 million worldwide)
• 1997 'Cinderella' (Tv Movie)
• 1997 'Cinderella' Tv Movie
• 2001 'The Princess Diaries' (108.2 million US, 165.3 million worldwide)
• 2003 'The Cheetah Girls' Tv Movie
• 2004 'The Princess Diaries 2' (94.6 million US, 125.0 million worldwide)
• List of best selling music artists

Extrenal Links

• WhitneyHouston.Com  ( http://www.whitneyhouston.com/ ) - Official Houston's Site
• Whitney-Houston.Com  ( http://www.whitney-houston.com/ ) - Fan site
• ClassicWhitney.com  ( http://www.classicwhitney.com/ ) - Fan site
• Whitney-Fan.Com  ( http://www.whitney-fan.com/ ) - Another fan site