Whitney houston daughter
Whitney Houston
American singer and actress (–)
For the album, see Whitney Houston (album).
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, – February 11, ) was an American singer, actress, and film producer. Known as "the Voice",[1] she is one of the most awarded performers[2] and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of more than million records worldwide.[3][4] Her crossover appeal on the popular music charts influenced the breaking down of gender and racial barriers in popular culture.[5][6] Known for her vocal delivery and live performances,[7] Houston was ranked second by Rolling Stone on their list of the " Greatest Singers of All Time".[8] Her life and career have been the subject of multiple documentaries and television specials.
Whitney houston biography black history The Shortlisted. March 2, Houston was given the nickname "Nippy" by her father. Don Cornelius Productions, Inc.Houston began singing at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at the age of Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston () and Whitney (), reached number one on the Billboard and are among the best-selling albums of all time.
She is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot [a] Her third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (), yielded two US number-one singles; the title track and "All the Man That I Need". Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in received widespread acclaim and media coverage.
Houston entered the film industry with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (), which despite its mixed reviews became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date. Its soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. The lead single "I Will Always Love You" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling female single in history.
Houston went on to star and record soundtracks for the films Waiting to Exhale () and The Preacher's Wife (). The former soundtrack scored her 11th Billboard Hot number-one single, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", while the latter, produced by Houston herself, became the best-selling gospel album of all time.
As a film producer, she co-produced Cinderella (), The Princess Diaries (), The Cheetah Girls (), and Sparkle ().
Following the success of My Love Is Your Love (), Houston's first studio album in eight years, she renewed her contract with Arista Records for $&#;million in , one of the largest recording deals of all time.[9] However, her next album, Just Whitney (), received mixed reviews, while her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown began to overshadow her music career.
After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard with her final album, I Look to You (). In February , Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the Grammy Awards and was covered internationally along with her memorial service.
Latest on whitney houston biography Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television. Do you find this information helpful? Daily Record. December 31,Her assets amounted to $&#;million, earned over a year career,[10] and she remains the highest-earning posthumous female celebrity.[11]
Early life and family
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, , at Presbyterian Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, to Emily "Cissy" (née Drinkard) and John Russell Houston Jr.[12] Cissy was a Grammy-winning gospel and soul singer who was a member of The Drinkard Singers and the founder of The Sweet Inspirations before becoming a solo artist.[13][14] John was a former Army serviceman who later became an administrator under the Newark mayor.
Houston was given the nickname "Nippy" by her father.[15]
Houston's parents are both African-American. Cissy Houston stated that she has partial Dutch and Native American ancestry.[16] Houston was a cousin of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick as well as a distant cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price.
Aretha Franklin became an "honorary aunt" while Darlene Love was Houston's godmother.[17][18][19] Houston's paternal great-great-grandfather Jeremiah Burke Sanderson was an American abolitionist and advocate for the civil and educational rights of black Americans during the midth century.[20][21] Houston had three older brothers: paternal half-brother John III;[22] maternal half-brother Gary, a former basketball player and singer;[23] and Michael.[24]
The Houston family relocated to a suburban area of East Orange three years following the Newark race riots of [25][26] Houston's parents later divorced.[27]
Houston was raised in the Baptist faith.
She joined the church choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark at the age of five, and she also learned to play piano at New Hope.[25][26] She later recalled being exposed to the Pentecostal church nearby as well. Houston made her solo performance debut at New Hope singing the hymn "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" at the age of [28] When Houston became a teenager, she told her mother that she wanted to pursue a career in music.
Throughout her teenage years, she would be taught how to sing by Cissy.[29] Along with her mother, her cousins and Franklin, Houston was influenced by singers such as Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack.[30]
Houston attended Franklin Elementary School (now Whitney E.
Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts) before transferring to Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, by sixth grade.[28] She graduated from Mount Saint Dominic in [31]
Career
– Career beginnings
Houston's professional career began when she joined her mother's band as a background singer during Cissy's performance at Manhattan's Town Hall in February There, Houston gave her first solo, performing "Tomorrow" from the Broadway musical, Annie, where she received her first standing ovation.[32] Houston then sang with her mother in Manhattan's club circuit.
Whitney houston biography black history month Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. September 19, Download as PDF Printable version. December 14,Houston was the featured vocalist in Michael Zager's "Life's a Party" and began a career as a session vocalist backing up artists like her mother and Zager before being assigned to back up artists such as Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan.[33][34] Houston became a fashion model in and a year later, became one of the first black models to appear on the cover of a fashion magazine landing a cover of Seventeen.[35] With her looks and girl-next-door charm, Houston became one of the most sought-after teen models in the country, later appearing in fashion spreads for Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Young Miss.[34] Houston continued her music career during this period, recording demos of gospel recordings with producer Steven Abdul Khan Brown.[36] Houston's vocal talent made her sought after for recording deals, but were turned down by her mother, who insisted that Houston finish high school.[33][37]
In September , following the advice of her cousin Dionne Warwick, Houston signed with Tara Productions and hired Gene Harvey as her manager.[38] Daniel Gittelman and Seymour Flics would also be part of the team to work closely with Houston.[39][40] In , Houston was featured as the lead vocalist on the song "Memories" by the band Material on their album One Down.
In his Village Voice review of One Down, Robert Christgau called the song "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard."[41] In early , Houston was the featured lead vocalist on the song "Eternal Love", co-written by Paul Jabara and featured on his album Paul Jabara & Friends.[42] After auditions with CBS and Elektra Records, Houston would be discovered by Gerry Griffith, then the A&R representative for Arista Records, while Houston performed with her mother at the Seventh Avenue South nightclub in Manhattan.[43] Griffith convinced Arista head Clive Davis to make time to see her perform at another nightclub called Sweetwaters the following week.
Davis was impressed and immediately offered a worldwide record deal, which Houston eventually signed on April 10, [44] Houston was introduced to a national audience in June , performing the song "Home" from the Broadway musical The Wiz on The Merv Griffin Show.[45][44][46][47]
Houston did not begin work on an album immediately.[48] The label wanted to make sure no other label signed her away and Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for her debut album.
Some producers passed on the project because of prior commitments.[49] After seeing her perform in New York, Michael Masser offered to pair Houston with Teddy Pendergrass, on the duet, "Hold Me", which appeared on his album, Love Language.[50] Released in May , the song gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a top hit on the R&B and adult contemporary charts.[51] Houston also received notice in after being paired up with Jermaine Jackson, with whom the duet, "Take Good Care of My Heart", was featured on Jackson's Dynamite album, while also appearing with Jackson performing the song and another duet, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", on an episode of As the World Turns.
All three songs eventually appeared on her debut album. During this period, Houston continued to model, appeared in a commercial for the Canada Dry soft drink, and also began singing commercial jingles, including one for the restaurant brand, Steak & Ale.[52]
– Whitney Houston and rise to international prominence
After more than a year of sessions, Whitney Houston was released on Valentine's Day, February 14, [53] After debuting at number on the Billboard for the week of March 30, , the album would hit the top 10 of the chart in its 23rd week.[54] On its 50th week, it reached number one in March , starting a week run, which remains the longest run for a female debut album in history.[55][56] Worldwide, the album topped the charts in seven other countries and reached the top five in seven others.
Critics praised Houston and the album, with Rolling Stone calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years" while The New York Times called the album "an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent".[57][58]
The album's leading single, "You Give Good Love", produced by Kashif, became Houston's first top single on the Billboard Hot in July.[59] The song generated some controversy after advice columnist Ann Landers included it in her list of songs she deemed "trashy music".[60] Houston later defended the song during an interview with the Chicago Tribune.[61] Later, in October, Houston scored her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot with "Saving All My Love for You".
When "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" hit number one on the same chart, Houston set a record by being the first female artist to produce three number one singles off a single album. Eventually, the album would be certified Diamond in the United States for sales of 14 million copies,[62] and sell over 25 million worldwide becoming the best-selling debut album in music history and remains the best-selling debut album in history by a female artist.
The album is listed in the Guinness World Records as the best-selling R&B studio album by a female artist in history.[63][64][65] The album also produced the international hit, "All at Once", which hit the top five in several European countries and went gold in Japan.[66]
Houston would win her first Grammy Award at the ceremony for the ballad, "Saving All My Love for You", which won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, to which she had performed in the program to a stunning reception that later resulted in her winning an Emmy Award that September.[67] Houston's album was also nominated for Album of the Year, losing out to Phil Collins' No Jacket Required.[68][69] Houston failed to receive a nomination for Best New Artist, prompting Clive Davis to write an angry open letter to the Recording Academy, who defended the decision citing Houston's hit with Teddy Pendergrass.[70] Houston also won two American Music Awards, including Favorite Soul/R&B Song for "You Give Good Love",[71] as well as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist.
Houston eventually received five more American Music Awards at the ceremony, including American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist.[72] Houston won 14 Billboard Number One awards in and , winning Top Pop Artist in the latter year, with the album earning Top Pop Album honors, the first album by a female artist to receive that distinction.[55]
The initial success of the album was attributed to Houston's appearances in late-night talk shows as well as music videos; both formats were not usually available to emerging black acts.[55] During the album's early promotional run, Houston and her label struggled to submit the music video to "You Give Good Love" for MTV.
At that time, the channel received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by artists of color while favoring predominantly white acts.[73] Years later, Houston explained in an interview with the channel how the video was rejected because it was a "very kind of R&B song".[74] However, the music video to "Saving All My Love for You" eventually got airplay due to the song "hit(ting) so hard and explod(ing) so heavy" that the channel "had no choice but to play it," according to Houston.[74] In December , the video to "How Will I Know" was submitted and accepted by MTV brass and sent the video to heavy rotation almost immediately after it debuted that month, then a rare occurrence for a black female artist.[75][76] Following opening spots on tours by Jeffrey Osborne and Luther Vandross, Houston opened at Carnegie Hall in October [77][78] In July , she embarked on her first world tour, The Greatest Love World Tour, performing a total of 53 dates.
Houston's debut album is listed as one of Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time and on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive list.[79][80] Houston's grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today.[81]
– Whitney
In June , Houston's second album, Whitney, was released.
Critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating".[82] The album nonetheless enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first woman in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard chart.[83] Houston was also the first artist ever to enter number one in the US and UK simultaneously, while also reaching number one in every country it charted.[84][85] The album stayed at number one on the Billboard for its first eleven weeks, a record for an R&B female artist and only one of five albums to spend their first 10 weeks or more at number one on the chart.[86] The album's first single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot and topping the singles chart in 17 countries, including Australia, West Germany and the UK.[87] Houston made more history when three more singles from the album - "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" – also reached number one on the same chart within a six-month stretch, making Houston the first female artist to earn four number one singles on a single album, besting her previous record of three from her debut.
Along with the aforementioned three number ones, Houston again made history as the first artist to score seven consecutive number one hits on the Billboard Hot , beating the previous record of six, held by the Beatles and Bee Gees.[84] Houston remains the only artist to ever accomplish this feat as of [85] A fifth single, "Love Will Save the Day", reached number nine on the Hot , making Houston one of several artists to record more than five top singles off a single album.[88]Whitney has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, with 10 million copies sold in the United States alone, where it has been certified Diamond.[62][89]
Houston earned several accolades from the album, including the Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" in the female pop vocal performance category.[90][91] Additional accolades include four American Music Awards, six Billboard awards and a Soul Train Music Award.[92][93][94] Houston launched her second world tour, the Moment of Truth World Tour, in July The North American leg of the tour grossed more than $20 million, becoming the highest-grossing female tour of the year and one of the top 10 North American tours of [95][96] Houston eventually toured dates, including eight sold-out dates at London's Wembley Arena.
The singer's unprecedented successes helped her to earn notices on Forbes magazine. In , she was ranked the eighth highest-ranking entertainer of the year on its Forbes 40 list, earning $43 million in that year alone.[97] The highest-earning musician and highest black female entertainer on the list, she was only the third highest after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.[97] In , she ranked 17th.[98][99]
During this period, Houston showed support to Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement, participating in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at London's Wembley Stadium on June 11, , which was watched by more than half a billion viewers and raised $1 million in charities, while also bringing awareness to apartheid.[] Houston had refused to work with agencies who did business with South Africa during her modeling years in the earlys.[][] In August of the year, Houston headlined Madison Square Garden for a United Negro College Fund benefit concert to raise money to fund historically black colleges and universities, raising a quarter of a million dollars.[] That same year, Houston recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics, "One Moment in Time", which became a top five hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK, Germany and Europe and later won Houston a Grammy nomination and a Sports Emmy, alongside producer Narada Michael Walden.[][][][] In January , Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a nonprofit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world.
The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or AIDS and other issues of self-empowerment.[][] The organization now functions under the name, the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation.
– I'm Your Baby Tonight and "The Star-Spangled Banner"
With the success of her first two albums, Houston became an international crossover superstar, appealing to all demographics.
However, some black critics believed she was "selling out".[] They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.[] At the Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered.[][] Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it and I did it that way.
I'm not ashamed of it."[] Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November The first album in which she served as executive producer and exerted creative control for the first time in her career, Houston chose mostly black producers such as the team of L.A.
Reid and Babyface, as well as Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder, while maintaining Narada Michael Walden as one of the main producers.
Singer bobby brown biography: Jackson and Madonna were by turns lascivious and brutish and, crucially, willing to let their production speak more loudly than their voices, an option Ms. Houston remains one of only two artists to receive all three honors from the BET network. The soundtrack topped the Billboard chart and remained there for 20 weeks, a first for a female album. Fox News.
The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and uptempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed to positive. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album",[] while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston's shift towards an urban direction was "superficial".[]
The album reached number three on the Billboard , staying inside the top 10 for 22 weeks, becoming the tenth best-selling album of , while topping the Top R&B Albums chart, staying there for eight consecutive weeks, becoming the best-selling R&B album of [] Houston set another chart record when the first two singles from the album, the title track and "All the Man That I Need", each topped the Billboard Hot , making Houston the first solo female artist to produce multiple number one singles from three albums.[][b] The album included another top pop hit, "Miracle", and the top 20 hit, "My Name Is Not Susan", which produced one of the first remixes of a pop song to feature a rapper, as female rapper Monie Love, participated.[] The album became her third consecutive multi-platinum album, going four-times platinum in the US, while selling 10 million copies worldwide.[62][] Houston earned Grammy Award nominations for three songs from the album as well as four American Music Award nominations, while winning eight Billboard awards, including four Billboard Music Awards, such as Top R&B Artist and Top R&B Album.
A bonus track from the album's Japanese edition, "Higher Love", was remixed by Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo and released posthumously in to commercial success. It topped the US Dance Club Songs chart and reached number two in the UK, becoming Houston's highest-charting single in the country since []
During the Persian Gulf War, on January 27, , Houston performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", the US national anthem, at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium.[] Houston's vocals were pre-recorded, prompting criticism.[][][][] Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, said: "This is not a Milli Vanilli thing.
She sang live, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events."[] Nevertheless, a commercial single and video of the performance reached the Top 20 on the US Hot , giving Houston the biggest chart hit for a performance of the national anthem.[c][][]
Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund and was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.[][][] Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers;[][] VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV.[] Following the September 11, , terrorist attacks, the single was rereleased, with all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks.
It reached number 6 in the Hot and was certified platinum.[] The song's re-charting made Houston the first woman in history to chart the same song inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot [] Later in , Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families.
The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3, servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch.[] The show gave HBO its highest ratings ever.[] Houston then embarked on her third world tour, the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour, which Houston would give 96 shows, including a historic date sold-out residency at Wembley Arena in London.
The concert tour produced mixed to positive reviews. While The Sun Sentinel argued that Houston should've opted for smaller venues and theaters that were "far more suitable to her sophistication and talent",[]USA Today praised Houston for "shak[ing] the confinements of her recordings' calculated productions and gets downright gutsy and soulful"[]
– The Bodyguard
With the success of her music, Houston received offers of film work, including work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones and Spike Lee, but she did not feel the time was right.[] Her first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in Houston played a star who is being stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard (played by Kevin Costner) to protect her.
Houston's mainstream appeal allowed audiences to look past the interracial nature of her character's relationship with Costner's character.[] However, controversy arose as some felt Houston's face had been intentionally left out of the advertising to hide the film's interracial relationship. In a interview with Rolling Stone, Houston said that "people know who Whitney Houston is&#;– I'm black.
You can't hide that fact."[30]
The film received mixed reviews. Writing for The Washington Post, Rita Kempley wrote that Houston was merely "playing herself", but came out "largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking".[] Janet Maslin of The New York Times felt that Houston lacked chemistry with Costner.[] Houston was nominated for a Razzie Award but also received favorable acting nods, including a nomination for Outstanding Actress at the NAACP Image Awards, four acting nods at the MTV Movie Awards and a People's Choice Award nod for Favorite Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture.[][] Upon its release, The Bodyguard grossed more than $&#;million in the U.S.
and $&#;million worldwide, making it one of the top highest-grossing films in history at its time of release.[] It remains in the top 50 of most successful R-ratedfilms in box-office history.[]
The film's soundtrack also enjoyed success. Houston executive produced the soundtrack along with Davis and recorded six songs for the album.[][]Rolling Stone described it as "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane".[] The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in Houston's version was highly acclaimed by critics, regarding it as her "signature song" or "iconic performance".
Rolling Stone and USA Today called her rendition a tour-de-force.[][] The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot and Hot R&B Singles charts for 14 and 11 weeks respectively, record-setting numbers at the time, while also topping the Adult Contemporary chart for five weeks, resulting in her fourth record-setting "triple-crown" number one single.[][d] The single was later certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of 10 million copies, becoming Houston's first diamond single.
Houston is only one of just four female artists to earn both a diamond single and album along with Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey and Katy Perry and was only the third in history to do so.[][] In January , the song became the first single by a solo artist in US history to sell four million copies, later being certified 4× platinum by the RIAA and becoming the best-selling single in US history, a feat later surpassed by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97".
It remains the bestselling US physical single in history by a female recording artist.[][][][]
The song was a global success, topping the charts in almost all countries. With 24 million copies sold, it became the best-selling single ever by a female solo artist.[][] Houston won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in for "I Will Always Love You".[] In addition, it won a second Grammy in the best female pop vocal category, two American Music Awards, two Soul Train Music Awards, and an MTV Movie Award.
The soundtrack topped the Billboard chart and remained there for 20 weeks, a first for a female album. It remains the second longest cumulative number-one album by a female artist on the chart after singer Adele's 21. The soundtrack became one of the fastest-selling albums in history.[] During Christmas week of , it sold more than a million copies within a week, becoming the first album in music history to achieve that feat under the Nielsen SoundScan system.[][]
Houston released four more singles from the soundtrack.
Two of which, "I'm Every Woman" and "I Have Nothing", both reaching the top five of the Billboard Hot On the week of March 13, , Houston became the first solo artist in history to ever have three singles in the top 11 on the Hot simultaneously and the first artist in general to do so since the beginning of SoundScan.[][][][] Both "I'm Every Woman" and "I Have Nothing" hit number one in other Billboard charts, with the former topping the Dance Club Songs chart, and the latter becoming Houston's tenth number one song on the adult contemporary chart; in addition, the two songs alongside "I Will Always Love You" all hit number one on the Cashbox pop singles chart.
"Run to You" was a top US and top UK hit, while "Queen of the Night" reached the top 40 in several international charts and a remixed version topped the US dance chart, giving Houston her first number one as a songwriter.
Whitney houston biography movie The Boston Globe April 1, CBS News. While she denied many claims, their relationship was clearly tumultuous and added to her struggles. Facebook , Instagram.On November 3, , Houston made history again when The Bodyguard became the first album by a female artist to be certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, which also made it the first album by a female artist to be certified Diamond.[62] It has since gone on to sell more than 18 million copies alone in the United States, with total sales reaching 45 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female artist ever and also the best-selling soundtrack album in history,[] earning Houston several Guinness World Records.[]
Houston won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for the soundtrack, making her just the second black female artist to win in the category after Natalie Cole won it in for her album, Unforgettable with Love.[] Houston won a record eight American Music Awards, with the album winning in the pop, R&B and adult contemporary album categories, the only album in its history to do so.
Houston also received its highest honor, the Award of Merit, becoming at 30, the youngest female recipient.[][e] In addition, the album won Houston a record 15 Billboard awards, including 11 at the actual ceremony, three Soul Train Music Awards, including the Sammy Davis Jr.
Award as Entertainer of the Year,[] five NAACP Image Awards including Entertainer of the Year,[][][] a record five World Music Awards,[] a Juno Award and a BRIT award.[] Houston was a cover story for Rolling Stone magazine, appearing on the June 10, , issue.
Following the success of The Bodyguard, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour (The Bodyguard World Tour) in – Her concerts, movie and recording grosses made her the third highest-earning female entertainer of –94, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to Forbes.[] Houston placed in the top five of Entertainment Weekly's annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking[] and was labeled by Premiere magazine as one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.[]
In October , Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela.[][] At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to more than , people; this made her the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela's winning election.[] Portions of Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa were broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa.
The event was considered the nation's "biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela".[] After two performances in Brunei and Singapore in April , Houston's children's charity organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work that June.[]
– Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher's Wife and Cinderella
In , Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon in her second film, Waiting to Exhale, a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships.
Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers".[] After opening at number one and grossing $67&#;million in the US at the box office and $81&#;million worldwide,[] it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience could cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that became popular in the s.[][][] The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens rather than as stereotypes.[] The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast.
The New York Times said: "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant."[] Houston was nominated for a second acting NAACP Image Awards nod for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in the film, but lost to her co-star Bassett.[] In , Houston hosted the 8th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.[]
The film's accompanying soundtrack was written and produced by Babyface and was executive produced by Houston and Clive Davis.
Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction" and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film's message about strong women.[] Consequently, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J.
Blige, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle. Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" became just the third single in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot after Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy".[][f] It would be Houston's eleventh and final number one single in her lifetime.
It also would spend a record 11 consecutive weeks at the number-two spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B charts, her second most successful single on that chart after "I Will Always Love You".
"Count On Me", a song Houston co-wrote and composed with her brother Michael and Babyface and made into a duet with longtime friend CeCe Winans, hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot and later won Houston two ASCAP Awards, a BMI Award and two Grammy Award nominations including Best Song Written for Visual Media.
A third Houston single, and the last song from the soundtrack to be released, "Why Does It Hurt So Bad", reached number 26 on the Hot The album reached number one on the Billboard in January and would later be certified seven-times platinum in the United States, with total worldwide sales reaching 12 million.[] The soundtrack received strong reviews; as Entertainment Weekly stated: "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"[] and has since ranked it as one of the Best Movie Soundtracks.[] Houston would win two American Music Awards at the ceremony for the soundtrack including Top Soundtrack and for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.
In , Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. She plays the gospel-singing wife of a pastor (Courtney B. Vance). It was largely an updated remake of the film The Bishop's Wife, which starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant. Houston earned $10&#;million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest-earning African-American actress in Hollywood.[] The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning about $50&#;million at the U.S.
box offices.[] The movie gave Houston the strongest reviews of her acting career. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice".[] Houston won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in the film.[]
For the film's accompanying gospel soundtrack, Houston co-produced nine of the album's 15 tracks with Mervyn Warren.
Six of the more traditional gospel material was recorded with the Georgia Mass Choir at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also recorded a duet with Shirley Caesar and the soundtrack also featured her mother Cissy Houston. Upon its release, it became the first gospel album by a female artist to debut at number one on the BillboardTop Gospel Albums chart.[] The album sold six million copies worldwide, including three million alone in the United States, becoming the best-selling gospel album ever.[] The album featured two hit singles, the Grammy-nominated "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step by Step".
In addition to its commercial success, it was also received positively by critics. The album itself was nominated for the Best R&B Album at the Grammys. However, Houston snubbed the ceremony due to the album not getting a gospel nomination.[][g] That year, Houston received two Dove Awards for the album, including Best Traditional Gospel Recorded Song for "I Go to the Rock", while also receiving the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist alongside the Georgia Mass Choir.
In , Houston's production company changed its name to BrownHouse Productions from Houston Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.[] Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.
In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the film as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in , but other projects intervened.[] The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and non-stereotypical message.[] An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.[] The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.
Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Houston wanted the story told with dignity and honor.[] However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and got her version going first.[] Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols, such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick, by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C. The special raised more than $, for the Children's Defense Fund.