Among those early performances is a scorching 1983 appearance with the avuncular Merv Griffin singing "Home" from Charlie Smalls' score to The Wiz, as well as an emotional take on Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls. The second disc, a DVD, included music videos, new interview footage and some fascinating television appearances. The 2010 25th anniversary edition of Whitney Houston from Legacy Recordings expanded it by five bonus tracks: the 12-inch dance mixes of "Thinking About You," "Someone for Me," and "How Will I Know," a 1990 live version of "Greatest Love of All," and a an cappella mix of "How Will I Know" revealing the powerful vocals beneath the glossy production. (The hit Pendergrass duet, "Hold Me," was reprised on Whitney Houston.) The loss of that Grammy hardly hurt Houston, though, as the album shunted her to the ranks of superstardom. One accolade that Houston didn't receive was the Best New Artist Grammy, having been denied a nomination on the basis of her guest appearances on discs by Teddy Pendergrass and Jermaine Jackson one year earlier. Whitney Houston became the first album by a female artist as well as the first by a debut artist to yield three Number One singles. In between these two ballads was "How Will I Know," an ebullient piece of dance-pop spearheaded by producer Walden. George Benson first recorded the song in 1977, and while Masser and Creed believed in the song and its uplifting message, Davis initially disagreed, relegating it to B-side status of "You Give Good Love." When it was promoted to A-side status in April 1986, it was an instant, resonant favorite. 1 was Masser's "Greatest Love of All," co-written with Thom Bell's most frequent collaborator, Linda Creed. The luscious pop ballad would become Houston's first No. The slow-burning, sensual "Saving All My Love For You," co-written with Gerry Goffin, was introduced in 1978 by Marilyn McCoo of The 5 th Dimension on her Marilyn & Billy album with husband Billy Davis, Jr. It was the last-named gentleman who supplied Houston with two of the three songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100, beginning an as-yet-unrivalled streak of seven consecutive Number One singles. Davis teamed the not-yet 22 year old singer with producers including Kashif, Jermaine Jackson, Narada Michael Walden (a guiding light of Franklin's career at Arista) and Michael Masser. Houston joined Aretha Franklin at Arista, she trusted in Davis' instincts as much as the Queen herself had. If pure joy has a sound, it might well be the sound of Whitney Houston's explosive debut for Clive Davis' Arista Records. We start our guide to Whitney's discography with 1985's Whitney Houston after the jump! Put simply and at risk of cliché, we will always love you, Whitney Houston. Though Houston wasn't a prolific artist, the magnitude of her accomplishments looms large. One can only hope that Houston also found solace in the number of young individuals whose styles she influenced and whose careers she inspired.Įven as our thoughts reside with Whitney Houston's family at this difficult time, Mike and I have chosen to remember the great singer in the best way we know how: through a tour of her music. 2006's "Family First" teamed Houston with Dionne and Cissy, and the key presence of family and faith was a source of strength in her often-troubled life. Though an undisputed legend of pop, soul and R&B, she was at equally home on the dance floor, could do justice to Rodgers and Hammerstein ( Cinderella) and Stephen Schwartz (the Academy Award-winning "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt), and even dabbled in hip-hop. Over a career spanning nearly thirty years, Whitney Houston proved that there was nothing vocally she couldn't do. The mogul appeared alongside the singer for her debut on television's The Merv Griffin Show in 1983 she was off and running. When Clive Davis saw the young, beautiful and effervescent Houston performing in New York City, he sensed that great things were in store. Following in her mother's footsteps, she began performing at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, singing in the gospel choir as a featured soloist, and began to make inroads in the music business as a background vocalist, again echoing the path of some of her most famous relatives. Aretha Franklin was a close family friend and honorary aunt. The native of Newark, New Jersey called Cissy Houston of The Sweet Inspirations her mom, while Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick were her beloved cousins. Music was in both the bloodline and the spirit of Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963-2012).
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