Voice of an Angel
| American Music Awards, 2009 |
Whitney Elizabeth Houston
August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012
Newark, New Jersey
This Saturday, the world lost an incredible artist, a beautiful soul, and a caring mother. Ironically, this was also the weekend of the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in (Los Angeles, CA) where Houston was the gold standard for Contemporary American singers.
I wanna dance with somebody.
I wanna feel the heat with somebody.
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody.
With somebody who loves me.
Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey to loving parents who also happened to be famous and talented. Her mother is Cissy Houston, a star gospel singer, and her late father John Houston, was a music executive. Along with her parent's influence, Whitney's aunt was the legendary Dionne Warwick. If that was not enough, her godmother was the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston was a child prodigy. She began showing an inclination towards music and performance at a young age. Young Whitney showed her skills at her church, New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang solos in the choir.
Aside from her gifted voice, she was a fashion model, and managed to 'strike a pose' before her actual singing career started. When she finally made her first album, the cover photo showed her simple but stunning beauty. Having model looks only added to Whitney's marketability in a very image driven industry.
| Seventeen Magazine Cover, 1981 |
Like Bob Marley, and Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston enjoyed a lot of crossover success. She was a huge star and loved around the world. She was also a working woman, a very very hard working woman. Yes she had fame, celebrity, accolades, and awards, but she worked very hard to reach the top, and stay at the top.
Take care of yourself first. Life is precious.
RIP Whitney Houston
| Debut Album Whitney Houston, 1985
Whitney was a pop icon, and a music video star. She made hit after hit, and her videos were across the networks on MTV, VHI, and BET. These are highlights of the number one hits that she recorded during her career.
Greatest Love of All, 1985
This song was written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed. It was originally performed by George Benson. The song writer Linda Creed wrote this song at the age of 27. Shortly before the song was released, she passed away at the age of 36 (Breast Cancer). Linda Creed did her Houston's version of the song before she passed away. The music video was filmed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and features a cameo by Cissy Houston near the end of the song. Like so many young children, I learned this song and sang it as a solo during a graduation exercise. It was the first song I performed in front of a live audience. I was so inspired by Whitney Houston's voice, and the emotional truth in this song. It still is a favorite ballad of mine to this day.
Superbowl National Anthem ,1991
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