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Whitney Houston
artist

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston is a pop artist from United States formed in 1985. 81 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Pop · United States · Best pop albums

4 followers
3.9 /5
137 ratings
81
Releases
1985–2012
Active years
1985
Formed
2012
Died

Discography

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The Ultimate Collection cover4.1

Most popular

The Ultimate Collection

2007 · 18 tracks

Latest reviews

what listeners are writing about Whitney Houston

Singles & EPs

36

Live & compilations

8

Credits

3

Records Whitney Houston worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Appears on

7

Releases by other artists featuring Whitney Houston.

Featured tracks

5

Videos

4

Collaborators

13

Upcoming shows

The Whitney Houston & Frankie Beverly Tribute Concert

All concerts →

Community

More about Whitney Houston

Honors

6
  • Emmy Award

    ×1

    Emmy Award

    • — · Primetime Emmy Award
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    ×1

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    • 2020
  • NRJ Music Awards

    ×1

    NRJ Music Awards

    • 2000 · International Album of the Year
  • New Jersey Hall of Fame

    ×1

    New Jersey Hall of Fame

    • 2013
  • Billboard Music Awards

    ×1

    Billboard Music Awards

    • — · Billboard Millennium Award
  • Grammy Awards

    ×1

    Grammy Awards

    • —

Award data from Wikidata; photos via Wikimedia Commons — click a photo for its author and license.

Whitney Houston at a glance

Born in
Newark
From
United States
Active since
1976
Instruments
voice
Voice
soprano
Labels
RCA Records, Arista Records
Educated at
Mount Saint Dominic Academy
Former spouse
Bobby Brown (1992–2007)
Children
Bobbi Kristina Brown
Parents
John Houston Jr., Cissy Houston
Siblings
Gary Garland, Michael Houston
Family
Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all-time. Houston was one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. She released six studio albums, one holiday album and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for "How Will I Know", influenced several African American female artists to follow in her footsteps.

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Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits. She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly "Top Pop Album") on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston's 1985 debut album Whitney Houston became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone's best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You", became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period under Nielsen SoundScan system. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The Preacher's Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, the second child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. (September 13, 1920 - February 2, 2003), and gospel singer Cissy Houston (née Emily Drinkard). She was of African American, Native American and Dutch descent. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, godmother Darlene Love and honorary aunt Aretha Franklin were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. She met her honorary aunt at age 8, or 9, when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey, when she was four. At the age of 11, Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she described as the "sister she never had". While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an influence on her as a singer and performer.

On screen

33

Acting roles

As themselves

About Whitney Houston

Film & TV data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Whitney Houston in brief

How many Whitney Houston releases are on Riffiter?
81 releases are catalogued, spanning 1985 to 2026.
When was Whitney Houston formed?
Whitney Houston formed in 1985, in United States.
What genre is Whitney Houston?
Whitney Houston is catalogued under Pop, Soul, R&B.
What is the most recent Whitney Houston release on Riffiter?
WH1TNEY (Expanded Edition), released in 2026.
What awards has Whitney Houston won?
Whitney Houston has 6 award wins on record, including Emmy Award (1×), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1×), NRJ Music Awards (1×).
Does Whitney Houston have children?
Bobbi Kristina Brown is a child of Whitney Houston on public record.

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