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Whitney Houston Information
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'Whitney Elizabeth Houston ' (born August 9 1963 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American Pop, R&B, Soul and Gospel singer, songwriter, record producer, film producer and actress. She was one of the most popular and successful singers of the 1980s and 1990s, receiving multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and an MTV Movie Award. Her vocals are considered to be some of the best ever among pop singers, influencing singers such as Monica, SWV and Brandy.
Biography
Early years
Whitney's mother (Cissy Houston), first cousin (Dionne Warwick) and Godmother (Aretha Franklin) were all established Gospel/R&B/Soul singers, which caused her to always be around the presence of music while she was growing up. At the age of 11, she started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist church in Newark, New Jersey, and would later go on to accompanying her mother in concert. Although a Baptist, she attended a Catholic high school. After appearing on her mother's 1978 album, Think It Over, she started as a backing singer for many other established acts, such as Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, and Lou Rawls. At the age of 16, she was featured as the lead vocalist on the Michael Zager Band's single, "Life's a Party" in 1978. In the early-1980s, she started appearing as a model in various magazines (and even appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine.) In 1982, she made her first recording as a featured vocalist with the Jazz-Funk ensemble, Material. The song is called "Memories" and was featured on the group's album, One Down.
1983-1991: Early music career
The signing of Whitney's record deal with Arista took place in 1983, after Arista chief Clive Davis heard her perform at a nightclub with her mother. Immediately, the process of starting her debut album began, with nothing but the best songwriters and producers being used in this project. In 1984, she had her first commercial success with "Hold Me", a duet with Teddy Pendergrass (which appeared on his album, Love Language, and later on her debut album.) The single eventually peaked into the top fifty on the U.S. pop chart and the top five of the R&B chart. It was during that time that she decided to audition for the part of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show (which she lost to Sabrina Le Beauf) and guest star on shows like Gimme a Break and Silver Spoons. Whitney's popularity was beginning to grow fast.
On February 14, 1985, her self-titled debut album was released. It's slow rise up the album charts was encouraged by the success of it's singles; with "You Give Good Love" cracking the top three and "Saving All My Love For You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love Of All" going onto all hit number one. In March of 1986, Whitney Houston hit number one on the album charts. The album went onto sell over 22 million copies worldwide (with 13 million copies being sold in the U.S alone), making it the best-selling debut ever by a female artist. With this success came a series of prestigious awards, notably a 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance' Grammy for "Saving All My Love for You" and an Emmy for 'Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Program on TV'. For the remainder of 1986, she embarked on "The Greatest Love Tour".
Released in June of 1987, Whitney was an immediate hit, as it became the first album by a female artist to ever debut at number one in the U.S. and U.K. The first single, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" (originally titled "I'm Gonna Dance With Somebody" at her 1986 tour) shot straight to number one. Her next three singles; "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" also followed in that lead, giving her a total of seven consecutive number one hits in the U.S. This broke the previous record that was shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees and to this day, she is still declared by the Guinness Book Of World Records for having the most consecutive number one hits. Unfortunately, the string of number one hits was broken in September of 1988, when "Love Will Save The Day" was only able to manage Number Nine on the Hot 100. The album eventually went onto sell 18 million copies worldwide (with over 9 million copies being sold in the U.S alone.) "The Moment Of Truth" tour and another series of awards followed, including the 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance' Grammy for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", and various female vocal categories at the American Music Awards. During the 1988 Olympics, her performance of "One Moment in Time" peaked in the U.S. top five and on the number one spot in the UK.
Whitney's third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight was finally released in November of 1990, where it hit number three on The Billboard 200. The first two singles; "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All The Man That I Need" went straight to number one in U.S., giving her a total of nine U.S. number one singles at that point. The last two singles were not as successful, as "Miracle" was only able to reach number nine and "My Name Is Not Susan" reached an even lower peak at number twenty. "I Belong To You" and "We Didn't Know" (a duet with Stevie Wonder) were only released on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, where they hit number ten and twenty. The album managed to sell 8 million copies worldwide with 4 million of those in the U.S. The album was followed by the "I'm Your Baby Tonight" world tour and four Billboard Music Awards at the 1991 ceremony. In January, 1991, she performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in Tampa. It was later released as a single, where it reached number twenty in the U.S. and became the only version of the National Anthem to be certified platinum. The single also helped to raise funds for the American Red Cross and was later performed (along with her other hits) at her highly rated HBO concert at Norfolk, VA, as she welcomed back US troops returning from the Gulf War.
1992-1997: Acting career
In July 1992, Whitney Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown; the relationship proved turbulent. In the same year she made a credible acting debut in the film The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner. Houston recorded six songs for the phenomenally successful soundtrack album: cover versions of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", which topped the U.S. chart for fourteen weeks and the United Kingdom charts for ten, and Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman", in addition to "I Have Nothing", "Run to You", "Queen of the Night", and "Jesus Loves Me". The album went on to sell seventeen million copies in the U.S. and thirty-seven million worldwide, making it the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. The film went on to gross over $120 million in the U.S. and over $410 million worldwide, making Whitney Houston a film star was well as a pop star.
Houston won numerous awards in 1993 including Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. In 1993, Houston gave birth to her only child, a daughter, whom she named Bobbi Kristina Brown. In 1994, Houston went on to win a record eight American Music Awards (tied with Michael Jackson's Thriller from 1984). Also in that year, Whitney Houston became the first American singer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. Her concerts raised money to aid South Africa's children.
In 1995, Waiting to Exhale was released. The film was very successful, earning over seventy million dollars in the U.S. alone. The soundtrack was an even bigger hit, selling over ten million copies worldwide. It was written and produced by Houston's close friend Babyface. It featured three songs by Houston, the number-one hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", a top-ten duet with gospel artist CeCe Winans, "Count on Me", and "Why Does It Hurt So Bad". In 1996, Whitney Houston co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Preacher's Wife, a remake of the 1947 classic, The Bishop's Wife. The movie did not do as well as the others, but still brought over $48 million in the U.S. The soundtrack, a Gospel dominated album with fourteen new songs from Houston, sold poorly compared to her previous releases. However, it is still the best selling Gospel album of the Billboard Era with sales of more than 3 million copies. The two big singles from the album were the top five hit "I Believe in You and Me" and the surprise pop and dance hit "Step by Step".
In 1997, Houston starred in and produced a multicultural version of the classic fairy-tale Cinderella featuring Brandy in the title role. When Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella premiered on ABC-TV on November 2 1997, it was watched by over sixty million Americans. The film went on to win an Emmy Award and has become the best selling video ever of a made-for-TV film.
1998-2002: Career development and controversy
Houston spent most of the 1990s concentrating on her acting career, but made a surprise return to the studio for 1998's My Love Is Your Love. The album, which was supposed to be a greatest hits collection, instead featured thirteen new tracks from Houston.
Enlisting the songwriting help of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Diane Warren, and Wyclef Jean, among others, the album was a confident attempt by Houston to reclaim her success of years past. "When You Believe", a duet with Mariah Carey taken from the animated DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt, was a transatlantic hit. However, Houston's fortunes were revived by the U.S. number-two single, "Heartbreak Hotel". The atypical and hard-hitting "It's Not Right but It's Okay", and the reggae inspired title track, both were U.S./U.K. top-five hit singles. "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right, but It's Okay", "My Love Is Your Love", and the fifth single from My Love is Your Love, "I Learned from the Best" all went on to become number-one dance hits for Whitney, making her one of the club scene's hottest artists. Houston also performed at VH1's Divas Live! in 1999, helping to make it the highest rated show in VH1 history at that time.
In 2000, Houston got into trouble as she was found with marijuana at an airport in Hawaii and she skipped out on a performance at the Oscars (Faith Hill was a last-minute replacement for Houston). Houston's public image was further tarnished when it was revealed that she had been battling spousal abuse with her husband. Additionally she had clearly lost a great deal of weight and this, coupled with shaky (sometimes cancelled) public performances gave way to rumours of cocaine addiction. Many thought that her vocals sounded strained, and that her voice was worn down.
In 2000, Arista released, Whitney: The Greatest Hits, a two CD compilation of Houston's biggest hits. "Disc One - Cool Down" featured a collection of her ballads as well as two new tracks, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (a duet with Enrique Iglesias) and "Same Script, Different Cast" (a duet with Deborah Cox). Both songs received considerable airplay in the U.S. "Disc Two - Throw Down" is a collection of her dance songs and remixes. It also featured two new songs, "Fine" and "If I Told You That" (a duet with George Michael). Neither song made a splash in the U.S.; however they were hits internationally. Greatest Hits has sold over eleven million copies worldwide. In 2001, Houston and Arista Records agreed to re-release her version of the Star Spangled Banner to benefit the families of police officers and firefighters killed during the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It sold more than 300,000 copies, raised more than one million dollars, and earned Houston yet another top-ten single as it peaked at number six.
On December 10th 2001 in the UK Love, Whitney was released and was the follow-up to her multi-platinum 'Greatest Hits' collection. The album is a collection of ballads that have become Whitney's trademark over the years. It includes a collection of nine top twenty hits, including "Saving All My Love For You", "I Have Nothing" and of course the number 1 smash hit "I Will Always Love You". The album has sold 500,000 copies worldwide. 2001 also brought Houston her first major producing assignment: the hit teen Disney comedy The Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway and Dame Julie Andrews, which grossed over $100,000,000 (USD) at the box office. She also produced two other major assignments for Disney: the 2003 TV film The Cheetah Girls, about the tribulations of an all-girl pop group, starring Raven-Symone, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) grossed over $100,000,000 (USD). Although these efforts were very successful, Houston was criticized by her fans for producing "bubble-gum pop-ish" material.
In 2002, Houston admitted in a television interview with TV journalist Diane Sawyer to abusing cocaine, marijuana, and various other drugs. She claimed to have stopped using illegal drugs, but seemed to be making the admission to address the rumours circulating about her lifestyle. During the interview, Houston's comment about having never used crack cocaine because it was "for poor people" caused a new uproar.
In December 2002, Whitney released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney. The album reached number nine on The Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The first single, "Whatchulookinat", did poorly on The Billboard Hot 100 (only reaching ninety-six), but it did manage to reach seventy-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The second single, "One of Those Days", reached seventy-two on The Billboard Hot 100 and twenty-nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. While "Try It on My Own" only reached eight-four on The Billboard Hot 100 and eighty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, it did better on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it reached number one and number twenty respectively. In mid-2003, the remixes of "Love That Man" also managed to reach number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. All in all, the album definitely wasn't one of her most successful, but it still went on to sell over one million copies in the U.S. and two million copies worldwide.
2003-the present
In November 2003, Whitney released her first holiday album, One Wish. The album reached forty-nine on the Billboard 200, and fourteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's single, "One Wish (for Christmas)", didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it did reach twenty on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. In March 2004, Houston entered a drug rehab program in California. Over the spring and summer of 2004, Houston performed at a few concerts in Europe (the Soul Divas Tour with Natalie Cole) and her own concert tour in Asia. In September 2004 she made a surprise appearance at the World Music Awards to sing for Clive Davis. They announced that they would soon start working on a new album for Houston, to be released in 2005, in which a duet with Alicia Keys is rumored to be featured. In March 2005, Houston's chances at a comeback appeared slim when she entered rehab for the second time. However, she finished rehab in May 2005. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Davis announced that he was returning to the studio with Houston to finish the album they had begun before she had started rehab (see
).
Whitney spent the whole summer of 2005 working hard on her new album (which currently does not have a title). Five tracks have now been recorded according to Clive Davis, as the search for other songs continues. While it was rumored before that the album would be out in late 2005, it is now rumored for a April 2006 release. The album is rumoured to include duets with Wyclef Jean, Tony Bennet, R.Kelly, and Toni Braxton. Most recently, Whitney appeared at the BET 25th Anniversary Special on October 26, 2005 (which aired on November 1, 2005), where she showed off a refreshing and healthy new look. There are reports that Whitney has agreed to a Broadway musical based on her smash hit singles, much like ABBA has done with Mamma Mia.
Recently American viewers have been able to watch Whitney Houston on her husband's reality TV show "Being Bobby Brown". The show was filmed before Houston's second stint at rehab and despite Houston's "Watchulookinat" song, the programme was candid and very revealing and of course introduced Houston's now famous phrase "Hell to the no".
Discography
Albums
| Album | Chart Statistics | Singles |
|---|
| 'Whitney Houston'. | *Studio album
*Released: 1985
*Billboard peak position: No. 1 (14 weeks)
*UK chart peak position: No. 2
*AUS chart peak position: No. 1
*GER chart peak position: No. 2
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 2
*FR chart peak position: No. 13
*Total worldwide sales: 24 million
*US Certification: 13x Platinum | *"Hold Me"
*"Someone For Me"
*"You Give Good Love"
*"Saving All My Love For You"
*"How Will I Know"
*"Greatest Love of All" | | 'Whitny'. | *Studio album
*Released: 1987
*Billboard peak position: No. 1 (11 weeks)
*UK chart peak position: No. 1
*AUS chart peak position: No. 1
*GER chart peak position: No. 1
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 1
*FR chart peak position: No. 6
*Total worldwide sales: 19 million
*US Certification: 9x Platinum | *"I Wanna Dance with Somebody"
*"Didn't We Almost Have It All"
*"So Emotional"
*"Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
*"Love Will Save The Day" | | 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' | *Studio album
*Released: 1990
*Billboard peak position: No. 3
*UK chart peak position: No. 4
*AUS chart peak position: No. 10
*GER chart peak position: No. 3
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 2
*FR chart peak position: No. 9
*Total worldwide sales: 12 million
*US Certification: 4x Platinum | *"I'm Your Baby Tonight"
*"All the Man That I Need"
*"Miracle"
*"My Name Is Not Susan"
*"I Belong To You" | | 'The Bodyguard (Soundtrack)'. | *Soundtrack album
*Released: 1990
*Billboard peak position: No. 1 (20 weeks)
*UK chart peak position: No. 1
*AUS chart peak position: No. 1
*GER chart peak position: No. 1
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 1
*FR chart peak position: No. 1
*Total worldwide sales: 37 million
*US Certification: 17x Platinum | *"I Will Always Love You"
*"I'm Every Woman"
*"I Have Nothing"
*"Run To You"
*"Queen Of The Night" | | 'Waiting To Exhale (Soundtrack)' | *Soundtrack album
*Released: 1995
*Billboard peak position: No. 1 (5 weeks)
*UK chart peak position: No. 8
*AUS chart peak position: No. 9
*GER chart peak position: No. 20
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 22
*FR chart peak position: No. 27
*Total worldwide sales: 10 million
*US Certification: 7x Platinum | *"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
*"Count On Me"
*"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" | | 'Preacher's Wife' | *Soundtrack album
*Released: 1996
*Billboard peak position: No. 3
*UK chart peak position: No. 3
*AUS chart peak position: No. 34
*GER chart peak position: No. 14
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 11
*FR chart peak position: No. 28
*Total worldwide sales: 5 million
*US Certification: 3x Platinum | *"I Believe In You And Me"
*"Step By Step" | | 'My Love Is Your Love' | *Studio album
*Released: 1998
*Billboard peak position: No. 13
*UK chart peak position: No. 4
*AUS chart peak position: No. 42
*GER chart peak position: No. 2
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 1
*FR chart peak position: No. 2
*Total worldwide sales: 13 million
*US Certification: 4x Platinum | *"When You Believe"
*"Heartbreak Hotel"
*"It's Not Right, but It's Okay"
*"My Love Is Your Love"
*"I Learned From The Best" | | 'Whitney: The Greatest Hits' | *Greatest hits album
*Released: 2000
*Billboard peak position: No. 5
*UK chart peak position: No. 1
*AUS chart peak position: No. 8
*GER chart peak position: No. 2
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 2
*FR chart peak position: No. 1
*Total worldwide sales: 11 million
*US Certification: 3x Platinum | *"I Told You That"
*"Could I Have This Kiss Forever"
*"Same Script, Different Cast"
*"The Star Spangled Banner" | | 'Love, Whitney' | *Compilation album
*Released: 2001
*Billboard peak position: not released
*UK chart peak position: No. 22
*AUS chart peak position: /
*GER chart peak position: /
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 37
*FR chart peak position: No. 8
*Total worldwide sales: 1 million
*US Certification: / | *"Fine" | | 'Just Whitney'. | *studio album
*Released: 2002
*Billboard peak position: No. 9
*UK chart peak position: No. 76
*AUS chart peak position: /
*GER chart peak position: No. 16
*SWZ chart peak position: No. 16
*FR chart peak position: No. 25
*Total worldwide sales: 2 million
*US Certification: Platinum | *"Whatchalookinat"
*"One Of Those Days"
*"Try It On My Own"
*"Love That Man" | | 'One Wish' | *studio album
*Released: 2003
*Billboard peak position: No. 49
*UK chart peak position: not released
*AUS chart peak position: "
*GER chart peak position: "
*SWZ chart peak position: "
*FR chart peak position: "
*Total worldwide sales: 0.5 million
*US Certification: / | *"One Wish" |
'Total worldwide album sales: 134 million'
'Singles'
| Year of Release | Single | Album | US Chart Position | UK Chart Position | AUS Chart Position | US Sales | Worldwide Sales |
|---|
| 1984 | "Hold Me" (featuring Teddy Pendergrass) | Whitney Houston | 46 | #45 | failed to chart | <.1 million | .1 million | | 1985 | "Someone for Me" | Whitney Houston | not released | not released | failed to chart | not released | .02 million | | 1985 | "You Give Good Love" | Whitney Houston | #3 | failed to chart | #5 | .5 million | .6 million | | 1985 | "Saving All My Love for You" | Whitney Houston | '#1' (1 week) | '#1' (2 weeks) | #20 | .5 million | 2.5 million | | 1986 | "How Will I Know" | Whitney Houston | '#1' (2 weeks) | #5 | #2 | .5 million | 1.5 million | | 1986 | "Greatest Love of All" | Whitney Houston | '#1' (3 weeks) | #8 | '#1' | .5 million | 2 million | | 1987 | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" | Whitney | '#1' (2 weeks) | '#1' (2 weeks) | '#1' | 1 million | 4.2 million | | 1987 | "Didn't We Almost Have It All" | Whitney | '#1' (2 weeks) | #14 | #27 | .3 million | 1 million | | 1987 | "So Emotional" | Whitney | '#1' (1 week) | #5 | #26 | .5 million | 1.7 million | | 1988 | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Whitney | '#1' (2 weeks) | #14 | #48 | .35 million | 1.2 million | | 1988 | "Love Will Save the Day" | Whitney | #9 | #10 | #77 | .12 million | .4 million | | 1988 | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | #5 | '#1' (2 weeks) | #54 | .4 million | 1.5 million | | 1989 | "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Ever Gonna Be" (with Aretha Franklin) | n/a | #41 | #29 | failed to chart | .08 million | .2 million | | 1990 | "I'm Your Baby Tonight" | I'm Your Baby Tonight | '#1' (1 week) | #5 | #7 | .6 million | 1.4 million | | 1990 | "All the Man That I Need" | I'm Your Baby Tonight | '#1' (2 weeks) | #13 | #63 | .7 million | 1.2 million | | 1991 | "The Star Spangled Banner" | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | #20 | not released | not released | 1.6 million | 1.6 million | | 1991 | "Miracle" | I'm Your Baby Tonight | #9 | not released | not released | .2 million | .2 million | | 1991 | "My Name Is Not Susan" | I'm Your Baby Tonight | #20 | #29 | failed to chart | .18 million | .2 million | | 1992 | "I Belong to You" | I'm Your Baby Tonight | failed to chart | #54 | not released | .1 million | | 1992 | "I Will Always Love You" | The Bodyguard Soundtrack | '#1' (14 weeks) | '#1' (10 weeks) | '#1' (10 weeks) | 4 million | 8.6 million | | 1993 | "I'm Every Woman" | The Bodyguard Soundtrack | #4 | #4 | #11 | .7 million | 2 million | | 1993 | "I Have Nothing" | The Bodyguard Soundtrack | #4 | #3 | #28 | .55 million | 1.7 million | | 1993 | "Run to You" | The Bodyguard Soundtrack | #31 | #15 | #72 | .15 million | .5 million | | 1994 | "Queen of the Night" | The Bodyguard Soundtrack | failed to chart | #14 | #88 | .025 million | .3 million | | 1994 | "Something in Common" (with Bobby Brown) | n/a | failed to chart | #16 | failed to chart | .05 million | .3 million | | 1995 | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack | '#1' (Debut) (1 week) | #11 | #18 | .6 million | 2.2 million | | 1996 | "Count on Me" | Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack) | #8 | #12 | #87 | .59 million | .7 million | | 1996 | "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" | Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack | #26 | not released | #99 | .1 million | .4 million | | 1996 | "I Believe in You and Me" | The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack | #4 | #16 | #70 | 1.1 million | 1.4 million | | 1997 | "Step by Step" | The Preacher's Wife | #15 | #13 | #12 | .65 million | 1.4 million | | 1998 | "When You Believe" (with Mariah Carey) | My Love Is Your Love | #15 | #4 | #13 | .88 million | 1 million | | 1998 | "Heartbreak Hotel" (featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price) | My Love Is Your Love | #2 | #25 | #17 | 1.2 million | 1.8 million | | 1999 | "It's Not Right, but It's Okay" | My Love Is Your Love | #4 | #3 | #90 | .8 million | 1.5 million | | 1999 | "My Love Is Your Love" | My Love Is Your Love | #4 | #2 | #27 | 1.13 million | 3 million | | 2000 | "I Learned from the Best" | My Love Is Your Love | #27 | #19 | failed to chart | .21 million | .5 million | | 2000 | "If I Told You That" (with George Michael) | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | not released | #9 | #37 | -- | .2 million | | 2000 | "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (with Enrique Iglesias) | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | not released | #7 | #12 | -- | .697 million | | 2000 | "Same Script, Different Cast" (with Deborah Cox) | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | #70 | not released | failed to chart | .25 million | .28 million | | 2001 | "The Star Spangled Banner" (re-issue) | Whitney: The Greatest Hits | #6 | not released | not released | 1.6 million | 1.6 million | | 2001 | "Fine" | Love, Whitney | not released | not released | failed to chart | -- | .0075 million | | 2002 | "Whatchalookinat" | Just Whitney | #96 | #13 | #48 | .002 million | .03 million | | 2002 | "One of Those Days" | Just Whitney | #72 | failed to chart | #48 | .005 million | .01 million | | 2002 | "Try It on My Own" | Just Whitney | #84 | failed to chart | ? | .03 million | .15 million | |
Totals
*Total US singles sales: 22.172 million; Total worldwide singles sales: 49.982 million
*Total US record sales: 85.172 million; Total worldwide record sales: 186.982 million
Top Ten Singles
*1985: "You Give Good Love" (#3 US)
*1985: "Saving All My Love for You" ('#1' US, '#1' UK)
*1985: "How Will I Know" ('#1' US, #5 UK)
*1986: "Greatest Love of All" ('#1' US, #8 UK)
*1987: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" ('#1' US, '#1' UK)
*1987: "Didn't We Almost Have It All" ('#1' US)
*1987: "So Emotional" ('#1' US, #5 UK)
*1988: "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" ('#1' US)
*1988: "Love Will Save the Day" (#9 US, #10 UK)
*1988: "One Moment in Time" (#5 US, '#1' UK)
*1990: "I'm Your Baby Tonight" ('#1' US, #5 UK)
*1990: "All the Man That I Need" ('#1' US)
*1991: "Miracle" (#9 US)
*1992: "I Will Always Love You" ('#1' US, '#1' UK)
*1993: "I'm Every Woman" (#4 US, #4 UK)
*1993: "I Have Nothing" (#4 US, #3 UK)
*1995: "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" ('#1' (Debut) US)
*1996: "Count On Me" (with CeCe Winans) (#8 US)
*1996: "I Believe in You and Me" (#4 US)
*1998: "When You Believe" (with Mariah Carey) (#4 UK)
*1999: "Heartbreak Hotel" (featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price) #1 US)
*1999: "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (#4 US, #3 UK)
*1999: "My Love Is Your Love" (#4 US, #2 UK)
*2000: "If I Told You That" (with George Michael) (#9 UK)
*2000: "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (with Enrique Iglesias)(#7 UK)
*2001: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (re-issue of 1992 single) (#6 US)
Filmography
*The Bodyguard (1992)
*Waiting to Exhale (1995)
*The Preacher's Wife (1996)
* Cinderella (1997)
*The Princess Diaries - producer (2001)
*The Cheetah Girls - executive producer (2003)
*The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement - producer (2004)
Chart Records and Achievements
* U.S. Sales records are certified by the RIAA and can be considered accurate. U.S. chart positions are official through Billboard Magazine. However, world sales are a close estimate, as no process exists that certifies global sales.
Sales records
* In 1994, Houston received an award from the World Music Awards show, for being the "best-selling artist of the era". To date she has sold over 63 million records in the U.S., and over 120 million worldwide.
* At the end of 1999, Houston was named the top-selling R&B female artist of the century.
* Houston's The Bodyguard was the first pop album in Korea to sell a million copies.
* The world's biggest selling soundtrack is The Bodyguard with over thirty-seven million units sold. It also ranks as the best-selling female album of all time.
* Houston has fourteen gold singles in the United States, behind only Janet Jackson andMadonna among female artists.
* The world's best selling debut album by a female is Whitney Houston, with over twenty-four million copies sold.
* Houston is the first female artist to have two diamond albums (as of January 1994, both Whitney Houston and The Bodyguard were over ten times platinum). To date, Houston, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Shania Twain, and The Dixie Chicks are the only female artists with multiple diamond albums.
* "I Will Always Love You" is the best-selling single by a female artist, and the biggest-selling non-charity single of all time, with world sales of ten million copies.
* The Bodyguard was the world's largest selling album of the 1990s with over thirty-three million copies sold from 1992 to 1999.
* The largest initial certification of any album by the RIAA was for The Bodyguard, whose first certification was for sales of over six million copies.
* Houston is one of only two female artists, the other being Mariah Carey, to have three albums sell over nine million copies each in the U.S.: Whitney Houston, Whitney, and The Bodyguard.
* In the 1990s, Houston was the best-selling soundtrack artist in the U.S., with her three soundtracks selling over twenty-five million copies in the United States throughout the decade.
* The Preacher's Wife soundtrack is the best-selling gospel album of all time.
* Houston's version of "The Star Spangled Banner" is the only version to be certified platinum.
* Houston holds the record for highest one week-single sales of 632,000 copies of "I Will Always Love You" in December 1992.
Chart records
'Hot 100'
* The longest stay at number one from a solo song is Houston's "I Will Always Love You", though tied with Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight" and Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" with fourteen weeks.
* With seven songs, Houston holds the record for most number-one singles in the 1980s by a female artist (tied with Madonna).
* "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" was the third single ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
* After spending one week at number one, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" spent the next eleven weeks at number two, the longest number-two stay in Hot 100 history.
* Houston is the only artist to claim seven consecutive number-one singles that charted on the Hot 100.
* Houston is the only artist to have charted from 1984 to 2003 (other artists such as Elvis Presley and Madonna have had longer streaks, but not during this time).
* Houston is the only artist to claim three Top Ten hits from all of her studio albums (in the 1980s and 1990s).
* Houston is the only artist to have three or more number-one singles from all of her albums (in the 1980s).
* Houston has the most number-one covers. She covered the songs "Saving All My Love for You", "Greatest Love of All", "All The Man That I Need", and "I Will Always Love You".
'Hot 100 Single Sales'
* At fourteen weeks, Houston has the longest stay at number one on the Hot 100 Single Sales chart (shared with Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight").
* With fourteen songs, Houston holds the record for most consecutive Top Ten singles on the chart.
* With seven songs, Houston also holds the record for most consecutive number-one singles on the chart.
'Billboard 200'
* The first album by a female to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 was 1987's Whitney.
* Houston is the only artist with three albums to remain on top of the Top 200 for over ten weeks (Whitney Houston (fourteen weeks), Whitney (eleven weeks), and The Bodyguard (twenty weeks)).
* The Bodyguard sold a million copies in the final week of 1992 - at the time it set a record for the most albums sold in a single week. The record was broken in 1998 and again in 1999, but this was due to changes in the way the Billboard 200 was compiled, adding extras days' sales for Garth Brooks and Backstreet Boys. More recently, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, and Eminem have followed in the million-plus league.
* Whitney Houston's albums have spent fifty weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, more than any other female artist.
'Top Gospel Albums'
* Houston has the longest stay at number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart, when The Preacher's Wife remained at number one for twenty-six weeks.
Other records
* Houston has won twenty-one American Music Awards, more than any other female artist and solo artist, and second only to Alabama's twenty-two awards.
* Houston won a record of eight American Music Awards for The Bodyguard back in 1994. She is tied only with Michael Jackson, who won eight AMA's for Thriller at the 1984 ceremony.
* Houston won a record 11 Billboard Music Awards at the 1993 ceremony for The Bodyguard.
* Houston is the only artist with at least one Grammy, Emmy, MTV Video Music Award, MTV Movie Award, People's Choice Award, and Billboard Music Award to their name.
* Houston won a record five World Music Awards at the ceremony in 1994, equalled only by Michael Jackson at the 1996 ceremony.
* Houston is the most covered artist on the TV Show American Idol with over 1,150 of 70,000 auditions being songs of hers during the show's third season.
International Records
* Houston is the first and only female artist to concurrently top the US, UK, and Australian charts with a single song ("I Will Always Love You").
* Houston has the longest concurrent topping of the US, UK, and Australian charts when "I Will Always Love You" spent 9 weeks simultaneously topping the charts.
* Houston is the only artist to have one song in the UK Year-End Singles Chart for two consecutive years. "I Will Always Love You" ranked #1 in 1992, and #9 in 1993.
* "I Will Always Love You" was named the Top Australian Single of the 1990's.
* "I Will Always Love You" is the only single to have a double-digit run at the top of the US, UK, and Australian charts.
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