Whitney Houston, The #11 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Four

 

(Continued from Part Three)

In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts.  Houston co-produced and starred in the television movie Cinderella.  It enjoyed the highest ratings for ABC-TV in 16 years, with the movie earning seven Emmy nominations.  There was no official release of the soundtrack, but Whitney and other artists pushed for it and Houston herself co-produced it.    

From that movie, here is Houston's tremendous performance of "There's Music In You".

She performed in the three-night HBO concert Classic Whitney:  Live from Washington, D.C., which paid tribute to Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick.  The concert series raised $300,000 for the Children's Defense Fund.

 Whitney released her first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love in 1998.  Meanwhile, her duet with Mariah Carey from "The Prince Of Egypt" Soundtrack, reached #4 in the United Kingdom and #15 in the U.S., one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  The two superstars traded terrific vocal runs and choruses which combined for an amazing song.  "When You Believe" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture and was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammys.

 

The album reached #1 in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria.  The #2 smash "Heartbreak Hotel" (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price) also topped the R&B chart for seven weeks and was nominated for an MTV award for Best R&B Video.  The song became fatally ironic as Houston later died in a Los Angeles hotel room on the eve of the Grammy Awards, bringing heartbreak to the entire music world.

 

My Love Is Your Love has sold over four million copies in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide.  Houston earned a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "It's Not Right But It's Okay", which jumped to #1 in Spain, #3 in the U.K. and Canada and #4 in the United States.

 Houston was also nominated for Best R&B Album at the Grammys. The title song has now sold over three million copies, and peaked at #1 in New Zealand, #2 in the U.K., Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland and #4 in the United States.  It was her final career Top 10.

 Houston earned American Music Award nominations for Artist of the Decade (1980's), Favorite Pop (Rock) Female Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.  Missy Elliott helped on "In My Business".

Whitney performed in VH-1's Divas Live '99, then toured for 70 concerts, with the European leg finishing as the highest-grossing arena tour of the year.

Houston was named Top-Selling R&B Female Artist of the Century.  In 2000, Whitney:  The Greatest Hits was released, which reached #1 in the U.K. and #5 in the U.S.  A DVD was also released featuring live performances and interviews.  The album has sold 16 million worldwide, and 5 million in the United States.

We mentioned that Houston's life and career began a downward spiral when she met Bobby Brown.  Though he certainly pulled her down, he brought out the Whitney that the public did not recognize, and she went along with all of it.  By this time, she was mysteriously hours late for interviews, photo shoots, and rehearsals, and she canceled concerts and television appearances for no apparent reason.  Drug use was suspected, and on January 11, 2000, while with Brown, an ounce of marijuana was found in Houston's handbag at an airport checkpoint in Hawai'i.  

Houston was fired from her scheduled performance at the Academy Awards by musical director and good friend Burt Bacharach.  Later that year, Robyn Crawford, her executive assistant, resigned and later said she left because Whitney would not seek help for her drug addiction.

In 2001, Houston signed a renewal with Arista Records for $100 million to record six albums.  After the 9/11 murders at the World Trade Towers and Pentagon, Whitney's version of the U.S. national anthem was re-released with proceeds going to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police.  The song peaked even higher this time at #6.

While interviewing with Diane Sawyer in 2002 to promote her new album, Houston finally admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and pills and acknowledged that her mother Cissy had intervened to get help for Whitney. 

 

 Houston released the album Just Whitney later in the year, which debuted at #9, but four singles released from the album were not successful.  The album managed to sell one million copies in the U.S. and two million across the world.  "One Of Those Days" sampled the Isley Brothers song "Between The Sheets".

 Carole Bayer Sager, who has written numerous hits ("That's What Friends Are For" for Dionne Warwick and Friends, "Arthur's Theme" for Christopher Cross, "A Groovy Kind of Love", made popular by the Mindbenders and "Don't Cry Out Loud" and "Midnight Blue" for Melissa Manchester, among many others), is just one of the co-writers of "Try It On My Own", along with Babyface and others.

 

We also want to feature "Dear John Letter" from the album.

 

The following year, Whitney released the album One Wish:  The Holiday Album, which went Gold.  There are several noteworthy cuts, the first we'll feature is I'll Be Home For Christmas".

 Whitney turned in one of the best versions of "Joy To The World" as well.

 

And, her version of "Oh Holy Night" stacks up with the best of that reverent song.

But it wasn't Christmas at the Bobby and Whitney house.  Brown was charged with battery after assaulting Whitney, with visible injuries to her face when police arrived.

Houston toured Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Russia in 2004 and performed at the World Music Awards in tribute to Clive Davis.  Brown starred in the "reality" television show Being Bobby Brown, which showed Houston in less than flattering moments.  The Guardian said that Houston had lost "the last remnants of her dignity".  

With her life and career already essentially ruined, Whitney finally divorced Brown in 2006.  In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston admitted to using drugs heavily and that she had attended a 30-day rehabilitation program.  She also said her drug use had continued despite that effort.  

Houston released the album I Look to You, which debuted at #1, her first since 1987.  The album reached #5 and has sold over one million copies.  The title song is inspirational and one of her best performances.

"I Didn't Know My Own Strength" was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster.

 "Million Dollar Bill" was co-written by another of The Top 100 Artists* (Alicia Keys).

 Houston joined Akon for "Like I Never Left".  She enjoyed working with him--"He's a gentleman," she told MTV News.  "He did his work very well.  We did it very quickly, very diligently, and I'm very proud of that record."

Akon also collaborated on another song on the album, "I Got You".  Whitney toured the world for the first time in 10 years, and many fans were disappointed in the quality of her voice and performance.  After years of drug and alcohol abuse, that voice wasn't the same as it was.  In 2011, she went back to a rehabilitation center.  She signed a contract to star and serve as executive producer in the movie Sparkle, which was released in August of 2012.  

In public appearances, however, Houston seemed "disheveled" and "erratic".  On February 9, 2012, Whitney went to the rehearsals for Brandy and Monica, who were practicing for the pre-Grammy Awards party hosted by Clive Davis.  She then appeared with Kelly Price on stage in Hollywood singing "Jesus Loves Me".

On February 11, Whitney was found unconscious, submerged in her bathtub at her room in the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  Paramedics found Houston unresponsive at about 3:30 p.m. and after unsuccessful attempts to revive her, pronounced her dead at 3:55 p.m.  The coroner's report said that her death was caused by drowning after the effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.  Toxicology reports indicated that the drugs Benadryl, Xanax, cannabis, and Flexeril were found.  

Flowers left by fans near the Beverly Hilton Hotel

Houston's memorial service was February 18 at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark.  Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, and CeCe Winans were among the performers.  Whitney Houston was laid to rest February 19 in Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey.

The Davis Grammy party, as well as the Grammy Awards presentation, became a tribute to Houston.

Opening the party prior to the awards ceremony, Davis said:

By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney's passing. I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.

Tony Bennett said at the party:

 "First, it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse,  now, the magnificent Whitney Houston."  Bennett sang "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" and said of Houston, "When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, 'You finally found the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life."

At the start of the awards ceremony, footage of Houston performing "I Will Always Love You" from the 1994 Grammys was shown.  Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Houston and the other artists who had passed away during the year by performing "I Will Always Love You". The tribute led to the Grammys telecast getting its second highest ratings in history.

Flags were flown at half-mast throughout New Jersey to honor Houston.

In 2012, the compilation album I Will Always Love You:  The Best of Whitney Houston was released, which went Gold.  Whitney won a Billboard Millennium Award posthumously at the Billboard Music Awards.

In 2013, Whitney was inducted into the R&B Music Hall of Fame and her debut album was accepted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 2020, Houston was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and her signature song, "I Will Always Love You", was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Whitney has provided inspiration to thousands of singers, including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Pink, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Simpson, Nelly Furtado, Brandy, Ashanti, and Jennifer Hudson.   Brandy said "Without Whitney, half of this generation of singers wouldn't be singing."  Hudson said Houston is her greatest musical influence, saying to Newsday that she learned from Whitney "the difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing."

Houston is the most honored female artist of all-time, winning 22 American Music Awards (more than any other female solo singer), 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and two Emmys.  She has won 194 total awards out of 322 nominations.

Houston scored 41 career hits, with an impressive 23 of those going Top 10 and 11 #1 songs.  An incredible 26 of her 34 career Adult Contemporary hits reached the Top 10 and 9 of those rose to #1.  She has sold over 175 million albums worldwide.