Houston, Whitney

Whitney Houston

Singer

Displayed Talent Early

Debut Album Topped Charts

Became Tabloid Target

Entered New Phase

Selected discography

Sources

Since her debut on the music scene in the mid-1980s, Whitney Houston has established herself as an American pop institution. Born into a musical family—her mother, Cissy, is a gospel singer and backup artist, and the sultry-voiced Dionne Warwick is her cousin—Whitney knew at an early age that she wanted to be a professional singer. After years spent as a backup vocalist on her mother’s acts, she met Arista Records executive Clive Davis, who saw her star potential. Houston’s first two albums sold millions, demonstrating her popular appeal to a large and diverse audience. But while a majority of critics acknowledge the singer’s technical finesse, some find her songs lacking in real depth and emotion.

Houston began her singing career in the basement of her parents’ home, belting out Aretha Franklin songs while pretending to perform in Madison Square Garden. By the time she got out of elementary school, she had decided on a career in music, even though her mother wanted her to be a teacher. Cissy Houston conceded to young Whitney’s decision, however, and began to personally coach her daughter. “My mom has been my biggest influence,” Houston commented in the New York Times. “Everything she knows physically and mentally about singing she has passed on to me, and she taught me everything I know about the technology of the recording studio and about the business.”

Displayed Talent Early

Houston began singing with the church choir that her mother ran. As a high school student, she was singing backup for her mother and a variety of other artists including Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan. With a pretty face and a slim figure, the hardworking Houston also launched a successful modeling career, appearing in Vogue, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan. She wanted to quit high school and devote more time and energy to her career, but her mother advised her to complete her education first. After graduation, Houston signed with a talent management agency and continued to model and sing.

When Houston was 19, she gave a special concert at a Manhattan nightclub to showcase her talents to industry executives. It was there that she met one of the most influential people in her life, Arista Records president Clive Davis. He had significantly boosted the careers of other artists, including Air Supply, Aretha Franklin, and Dionne Warwick. After careful consideration, Houston signed with him. Over the course of two years the shrewd executive showcased Houston at selected venues and carefully selected material for her debut

For the Record…

Born August 9, 1963, in Newark, NJ; daughter of John (head of a music management company) and Cissy (a singer; maiden name, Drinkard) Houston; married Bobby Brown (a singer), July 18, 1992. Education: Graduated from parochial high school in New Jersey.

Backup vocalist on recordings of various artists, including Lou Rawls, Chaka Khan, Paul Jabara, Cissy Houston, and the Neville Brothers, 1975—; singer of commercial jingles; fashion model, 1979—; singer and recording artist with Arista, 1985—. Started companies in publishing, video, and other related fields. Has appeared on several television programs, including The Merv Griffin Show, Silver Spoons, and Gimmie a Break; actress in feature film The Bodyguard, Warner Bros., 1992.

Awards: Grammy awards, 1986, for best female pop performance, for “Saving All My Love for You,” and for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”; MTV Video Music Award for best female video, 1986, for “How Will I Know”; Emmy Award, 1986; seven American Music awards for album Whitney Houston; four American Music awards for Whitney; three People’s Choice awards; honorary doctorate from Grambling State University; United Negro College Fund Award for long-standing support and commitment to the black community.

Addresses: Home —Mendham, NJ. Record company —Arista Records, 6 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

album. This recording, titled Whitney Houston, cost Arista an unprecedented $250,000—a very rare expenditure for a first album.

Debut Album Topped Charts

Whitney Houston features songs from some of the top names in the recording industry. After debuting a single in Europe, the album was released in the United States. It contains duets with Jermaine Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass as well as the hit singles “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know,” and “The Greatest Love of All.” The album remained at the top of the charts for forty-six weeks.

“This is infectious, can’t-sit-down music,” wrote Richard Corliss of the release in Time. Other critics were impressed by the catchiness of Whitney’s songs and her professional delivery but complained about the lack of originality of her selections. Gary Graff summed up these complaints in the Detroit Free Press, noting, “Critics... uniformly praised her exceptionally trained voice but attacked the unapologetically mainstream approach of her music and her stiff stage performances.” Nevertheless, Whitney Houston sold over 13 million copies and launched the singer into superstardom almost overnight.

Houston’s next album was delayed for half a year because of the resurgence in popularity of her first effort. In 1987, the follow-up LP, Whitney, was finally released. “We intentionally sought a waiting period,” manager Davis told Newsweek. “We didn’t want a saturation of the market.” Whitney was the first album by a female singer to debut on the top of the Billboard charts. Corliss reported that “the new album showcases a Whitney Houston who sings bolder, blacker, badder,” and added, “Whitney marks graduation day for the prom queen of soul.”

Against charges that the album’s songs were trite and hackneyed, Whitney became an overnight hit. Part of the reason for this was the singer’s popularity with a wide range of listeners. “She can get the kids on the dance floor,” said Narada Michael Walden in Time, “then turn around and reach your grandmother.” This was Houston’s intention all along. “We wanted that mass appeal,” she commented in the Detroit Free Press. “I wanted to appeal to everybody—moms, kids, dads.... It’s great we achieved that.”

Became Tabloid Target

After the completion of her second album, Houston stepped out of the limelight to assess her career. She established friendships with gospel singers and started a few businesses. By the early 1990s, however, Houston became the victim of rumors about her personal life. She was purported to be involved in a lesbian relationship with her personal assistant, but she was also romantically linked with comedian Eddie Murphy and actor Robert De Niro. Controversy within the music industry also plagued her. Several rhythm and blues enthusiasts suggested that she was “too white” to succeed as a black artist, while the television show In Living Color satirized her in a sketch called “Whitney Houston’s Rhythmless Nation.” (In Living Color’s producers apparently felt that Houston’s dancing prowess failed to match that of chart-topper Janet Jackson, who showcased her expertise in skillfully choreographed videos from her hit album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.)

Houston, however, bounced back in 1990 with the release of I’m Your Baby Tonight. The new album was proclaimed by Davis to be more mature and funky than her previous works. Although Houston’s name alone seemed to be enough to sell the albums, Davis commented in a Detroit Free Press interview: “We don’t approach this with any sense of aggressiveness or cockiness. We worked hard to make this... as great as we can. Hopefully, everyone who liked or loved her before will be happy, and she will also make a giant number of new fans.”

Entered New Phase

I’m Your Baby Tonight sold over 6 million copies worldwide, which was a slight disappointment compared to sales of her first two albums. Commenting on speculation that the star was losing popularity, Graff suggested: “What’s really happening is that, after a sizzling start, Houston’s career is cooling down and settling in at a level that’s impressive by any standard—except when measured against her prior accomplishments.”

Houston also scored with U.S. audiences with the release of her stirring rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” which she belted out at the start of the 1991 Super Bowl. Proceeds from that recording went to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. The next year she again grabbed the spotlight with news of her marriage to singer Bobby Brown—her wedding dress reportedly cost $40,000—and her feature film debut opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard.

“Like all of us in the family, Whitney was singing from the moment she came out,” Dionne Warwick commented in Time. Houston has parlayed this family legacy into an amazingly successful career. And with her breakthrough superstardom, Houston has not only carved a nice niche for herself, but has made it easier for other talented young female singers to get into the business. “Here I come with the right skin, the right voice, the right style, the right everything,” commented Houston to Corliss in Time. “A little girl makes the crossover and VOOOM! It’s a little easier for the others.”

Selected discography

Whitney Houston, Arista, 1985.

Whitney, Arista, 1987.

I’m Your Baby Tonight, Arista, 1990.

Sources

Books

Greenberg, Keith Elliot, Whitney Houston, Lerner Publications, 1988.

Periodicals

Chicago Tribune, July 1, 1991.

Detroit Free Press, November 5, 1990; June 30, 1991.

Ebony, June 1990; May 1991.

Harper’s, September 1986.

Jet, June 20, 1988; September 11, 1989; July 16, 1990.

Ladies’ Home Journal, March 1988; March 1989.

Newsweek, July 21, 1986; July 13, 1987.

New York Times, November 11, 1990.

New York Times Biographical Service, October 1985.

People, May 19, 1986; December 22-29, 1986.

Vogue, July 13, 1987.

—Nancy Rampson