WHITNEY HOUSTON
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, N.J. Whitney began singing in a gospel choir at age 11 and later went on to work as a backup singer for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. Whitney's eponymous debut was released in 1985 and became an instant success. With singles like "The Greatest Love of All" and "Saving All My Love For You," the R&B-influenced pop album sat at No. 1 for 14 weeks, selling 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, the most commercially successful debut album by a female artist. After taking three years off from recording, Houston returned in 1990 with I'm Your Baby Tonight. Produced by Babyface, the album strayed from her pop formula with R&B and hip-hop infused tracks. Shifting gears, Whitney made her acting debut in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, co-staring with actor Kevin Costner. The movie itself grossed $400 million, better than expected. The first single from the soundtrack, the Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You," spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and sold nearly five million copies, making it the best selling single of all time. After taking some time off to marry pop star Bobby Brown in 1992 and give birth to her first child, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993, Houston returned to acting with 1995's Waiting to Exhale, for which she also recorded three soundtrack songs. In 2001, Houston signed a record - breaking $100 million deal with Arista. The contract provides for six new albums and two greatest hits compilations.
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