She Sang Like An Angel - Whitney Houston

She's one of the greatest singers of all time, selling over 200 million records worldwide, touching hearts and wowing the world with her incredible vocal range. She's the only person to ever have seven consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Music historians refer to her as The Voice.

But we know her as Whitney Houston, and she was a woman who made a difference. Their contributions made the world a better place. This is women who made a difference. This is the story of Whitney Houston, a woman with an incredible voice that fell silent way too soon.

The story begins in Newark, New Jersey, where Whitney Houston was born into a musical family. It sure does feel like music was in Whitney's DNA, doesn't it? She was the daughter of Grammy award winning gospel singer, Sissy Houston. And when Sissy wasn't on tour herself, she found herself singing legends like Elvis, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Van Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. This gave Whitney an amazing exposure to music as she grew up in Newark.

Now, Sissy was the music director at the Neighborhood Church. New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, and she got Whitney involved in singing at the church when Whitney was just five. Her solo debut came when she was 11 years old, and it was clear to everyone present that Whitney Houston had the talent to be a professional singer.

So through both nature and nurture, Whitney was destined to be a singing sensation. When she was just 14, she was singing background for her mom while Sissy played in cabaret clubs in New York City. Now, eventually, Sissy encouraged Whitney to sing lead on a few songs when she was performing at cabaret clubs.

And it was through this that she first came to the attention of music executives. Her big break, though, came in the early 1980s when she was signed to Arista Records. Her debut album, titled simply, Whitney Houston, was released in 1985 and featured the hit, Saving All My Love For You. The album was a massive success, reaching the top of the Billboard charts.

Other songs from the album included How Will I Know and The Greatest Love of All. The album sparked multiple Grammy Award nominations the following year for Whitney, and she ended up winning one for Best Pop Vocal Performance.

Now most people don't remember that her first single, Saving All My Love, was actually a cover version. The song had originally been recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in the late 1970s. But who remembers that? Whitney's version became a big hit. Today, it's a timeless classic.

Whitney's follow up album, Whitney, was released in 1987, and the album was another huge success. In addition to selling millions of copies, it spawned four consecutive number one songs and solidified Whitney's status as a pop superstar.

The album featured I Want to Dance with Somebody, Didn't We Almost Have It All, So Emotional, and Where Do Broken Hearts Go? All of those went to number one. Now there was even a fifth single, Love Will Save The Day, and while it didn't go to number one, it did break into the top 10 on the Billboard music chart.

Three years later, as the 80s were transitioning into the 1990s, she released the album I'm Your Baby Tonight. and the new decade would bring her more success.

That album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, spawned four top 20 hits. One of them was All The Man I Need, and this song topped the Billboard Hot R& B Singles chart, the Adult Contemporary chart, and the Hot 100 chart simultaneously. A very rare feat in music history.

The 1990s also saw Whitney's debut on the big screen as she launched a successful acting career, starring in films like The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, and The Preacher's Wife. Whitney's performance in The Bodyguard was particularly memorable, and the song I Will Always Love You had been written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton, but Whitney's cover of the song which was on the soundtrack to the movie, became a massive hit.

It's often considered one of the greatest love songs of all time. Today couples in love around the world adore the song's message of enduring love and commitment and Whitney's version resonated so deeply that many people play it at their wedding receptions or their anniversaries to this day.

So moviegoers loved Whitney on the big screen. Radio listeners loved her voice on I will always love you and Dolly Parton loved looking at her bank statement She had originally recorded the song as we mentioned and as the songwriter she raked in the royalties reportedly making 10, 000, 000 during the 1990s just because Whitney Houston covered her song.

After the success of The Bodyguard, Whitney starred in three more movies during the 1990s, Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher's Wife, and Cinderella.

Angela Bassett co starred with Whitney in Waiting to Exhale, a movie that follows four African American women as they navigate love and relationships in their personal and professional lives. The film explores themes of friendship, self acceptance, and the importance of communication.

Now, just a few years ago, Angela Bassett recalled how easy it was to work with Whitney, saying it was never high maintenance or feeling as if you were in a room with someone who had sucked up all the light and air and left you wanting. No, Whitney embraced you. your spirit and she was just very grounded.

During the 90s, Whitney Houston was at the top of the world. But like we hear so many times, all the fame and fortune doesn't mean everything's okay at home. Even before the end of the 1990s, stories were appearing about trouble in Whitney's world, mostly about a rocky marriage to Bobby Brown.

They had been married in 1992, The marriage was tumultuous, marked by allegations of heavy drug use, infidelity, and domestic violence. In 2002, Whitney entered rehab. Four years later, Bobby Brown was arrested for domestic violence against her. They divorced in 2007, and Whitney won custody of their daughter, Bobby Christina.

Whitney made somewhat of a comeback in 2009 with the album, I Look To You, but she never fully regained her former level of success. On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room, the victim of an accidental drowning caused by cocaine use. It was a senseless tragedy, followed by another one a few years later, when her daughter died of a drug overdose in 2015.

At the age of 22, reflecting on the legacy of Whitney Houston, her bodyguard co star Kevin Costner said there were very few women that occupy a territory that includes a world class voice. Real elegance and a physical presence. He said Whitney had all three and he could only think of two other women in the same category.

Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross. Now when you think of music in the 1980s, there's only a handful of names that define the decade. Stars like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna and Whitney Houston.

Her peers were the best of the best. But Whitney Houston was in a class of the best. all by herself.

Despite the challenges she faced in her personal life. Whitney Houston will always be remembered as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Her powerful voice, her incredible range, and her ability to convey emotion through song are truly unmatched. She'll always be remembered for her iconic songs. Her unforgettable performances and her enduring legacy as a music legend.

Whitney Houston, a woman who made a difference.