Whitney Houston

American pop diva with a three octave range, a spectacular video and film actress. A precocious beauty with virtuosity and lyrical authority, she began a carefully planned career in 1981 with TV commercials and guest spots. She also modeled in Glamour and Vogue and sang club dates with her mother, Cissy. With her debut album, Houston sold over 18 million copies world wide. She has surpassed the Beatles in consecutive No.1 hits and been the recipient of Grammys, American Music Awards, Peoples Choice Awards, Emmys and Entertainer of the Year given by NAACP. Described as an extraordinary talent, ethereal yet warm, she is considered a gifted singer. Born into a musical family, Houston began singing in public at 12 in the New Hope Baptist Church in East Orange, NJ and attended church every day but Wednesday as that was the adult choir rehearsal day. Her mother, Cissy Houston, a successful backup singer, was an important influence in her life, musically and morally, stressing her religious training and Bible study. Cissy corrected Whitney and encouraged her, telling her youngest child and only daughter when she did well. She stressed her little girls femininity, dressing Whitney in pinafores and bows. Whitneys dad, John, was the executive secretary of the Newark Central Planning Board and moved the family out of the city after the riots in 1967. Whitney was daddys girl, and having experience as Cissys manager, he did the same for Whitney when she became professional. Whitney was at odds with her classmates and because she was picked on in school, she was sent to a private Catholic school. Her two brothers cautioned her about boys when she became a teen. Cousin Dionne Warwick and close family friend Aretha Franklin were two of her role models. Houston was 15 when her parents separated and her dad moved out. She began modeling at 17 with shots in "Glamour" and "Vogue," and doing TV commercials. Singing "The Greatest Love of All" in her moms club show began her career in earnest. She signed a contract with Arista Records in 1985 and "Whitney Houston" became the best selling debut album in history, earning her a Grammy as well as seven American Music Awards. In 1988 she made $45 million. Videos prepared her for films, but being reluctant she had to be assured by Kevin Costner, her costar in 1992s "The Bodyguard," that he would always be there, she would look good and be protected. The soundtrack album sold more than ten million in the states, staying on top of the charts for 20 weeks. The single "I Will Always Love You" sold more than a million copies in the first week. Prior to this she had turned down the part of Josephine Baker and the lead in the movie "Dream Girls." Since then she has developed an impressive resume of movies including "Waiting to Exhale" in 1995 directed by Forest Whitacker and "The Preachers Wife" in 1996. Houston refuses to do nude scenes. On 27 January 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Houston sang "The Star Spangled Banner" during opening ceremonies for Super Bowl XXV which was prerecorded in Los Angeles and the recording sold more than a half million copies by word of mouth, with profits donated to the Red Cross. In the early 1990s she was stalked by several men, getting restraining orders against some. She fights to retain her privacy with photographers. Although she didnt think she would marry, Houston met future husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, in 1989. She has a squeaky clean image Read less