Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9 1963 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American pop, R&B, and soul and gospel singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She was one of the most popular and successful singers of the 1980s and 1990s, and has received multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and an MTV Movie Award. Also two songs which she performed have been nominated for an Academy Award, although she herself has not.

Late 1990s 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 fourteen 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".

Related Topics:
Denzel Washington - The Preacher's Wife - 1947 - The Bishop's Wife

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Cinderella

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

Related Topics:
Multicultural - Cinderella - Brandy - ABC-TV - November 2 - 1997 - Emmy Award

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My Love Is Your Love

Houston spent most of the 1990s 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 thirteen new tracks from Houston.

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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 success of years past. "When You Believe", a duet with Mariah Carey taken from the animated DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt, was a transatlantic hit. However, Houston's fortunes were revived by the U.S. number-two single, "Heartbreak Hotel". The atypical and hard-hitting "It's Not Right but It's Okay", and the reggae inspired title track, both were U.S./U.K. top-five 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 number-one dance hits for Whitney, making her one of the club scene's hottest artists. Houston also performed at VH1's Divas Live! in 1999, helping to make it the highest rated show in VH1 history at that time.

Related Topics:
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - Diane Warren - Wyclef Jean - When You Believe - Mariah Carey - DreamWorks - The Prince of Egypt - VH1 - 1999

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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 (Faith Hill was a last-minute replacement for Houston). 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.

Related Topics:
Marijuana - Oscars - Faith Hill - CD - Enrique Iglesias - Deborah Cox - George Michael

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Greatest Hits has sold over eleven 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 one million dollars, and earned Houston yet another top-ten single as it peaked at number six.

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Just Whitney

In December 2002, Whitney released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney. The album reached number nine on The Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The first single, "Whatchulookinat", did poorly on The Billboard Hot 100 (only reaching ninety-six), but it did manage to reach seventy-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The second single, "One of Those Days", reached seventy-two on The Billboard Hot 100 and twenty-nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. While "Try It on My Own" only reached eight-four on The Billboard Hot 100 and eighty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, it did better on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it reached number one and number twenty respectively. In mid-2003, the remixes of "Love That Man" also managed to reach number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. All in all, the album definitely wasn't one of her most successful, but it still went on to sell over one million copies in the U.S. and two million copies worldwide.

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One Wish

In November 2003, Whitney released her first holiday album, One Wish. The album reached forty-nine on the Billboard 200, and fourteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's single, "One Wish (for Christmas)", didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it did reach twenty on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.

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