It’s no secret that Whitney Houston will remain a musical icon post mortem. Despite some of her past mistakes and run-ins with hurting her reputation. it is hard to overlook her life and journey to success.
Beginning as a gospel singer in her Newark, NJ church, Houston empowered her fellow Baptist audience with her strong and compelling voice. She was the daughter of famous gospel singer Cissy Houston, cousin of DeeDee and Dionne Warrick and goddaughter of the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. Clearly this talented woman was one of many who had strong, influential voices.
Houston’s first order of success was debuted in her 1985 album “Whitney Houston,” which included 3 consecutive number one hits — “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know” and “The Greatest Love of All.” Selling over 12 million copies, it was easy to state that Houston had the “biggest selling debut album as a solo artist.” From there on, Houston was deemed to have more success in her following albums.
One of the recurring memories that was recounted during the Saturday funeral was Houston’s performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV. This performance was unique and exemplified the soul and diversity that Houston had separate from other artists at the time.
Not only was Houston a singer, she was an actress. As the lead female role in “Bodyguard,” Kevin Costner, her costar, stated at the funeral that she was the only acceptable woman to fit the role.
Her hit “I Will Always Love You,” a Dolly Parton remake, debuted in the film and caught on to every person worldwide for generations. The song is powerful not only in its words, but also by the voice that contains the beauty of the song. Houston’s incredibly high ranged voice impacted the viewers of the Bodyguard so much that “it went 17-times platinum, making it the biggest-selling motion picture soundtrack album in history.”
What a woman! What a singer! And what a leader. She led artists who followed in her footsteps trying to fulfill the success that Houston had done. Houston raised the bar for future artists and continues too to this day. It’s a sad occurrence that she was only 48 years old, a mother, a daughter, a cousin and a friend when she passed. In no way should her followers be sad about her passing but encouraged to embrace her message of strive.