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Each week of June, we open the 88.9 Vault of Soul with profiles of iconic soul pioneers. To continue 2026’s June coverage, WERS recognizes the iconic, the Voice, Whitney Houston!

Biography

Born For This

There are few people who were destined to be in the music industry like Whitney Houston. With Whitney Houston, it is almost impossible to cover all of her career success, but that is what we’ll try to do here. Whether due to her vocal range, her stage presence, or even her acting ability, there was no way that Houston would not be a star! 

Born in New Jersey, to Grammy winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, Whitney was made for the entertainment industry. Houston grew up fully encompassed by music. She was cousins with Dionne Warwick, Darlene Love was her godmother, and even the legendary Aretha Franklin would frequently make visits to the family. 

Just because she was born into music didn’t automatically make Houston an expert however. That would come through her following in the tradition of performing for her Baptist church, New Hope, at a young age. It was there that she learned to play the piano, but more importantly, it was there that she learned to sing.

Leaping Into the Light

It didn’t take long after high school for Houston to join up with her mother’s band playing in clubs around New Jersey and New York as a background vocalist. During these performances, Houston would be stuck on the side for the most part, spare for a few solo performances sprinkled throughout her tenure with the group. She then transitioned into the studio world while still performing with her mother. In 1978 and 1980, Whitney would back up musicians who had long been her idols like Chaka Khan and more. It would be years later in 1992 when Houston would pay homage to her she-ro Chaka by covering her iconic song, ‘I’m Every Woman.’

On top of slowly making waves in the music industry, Houston also began her modeling career. In 1980 alone she featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more. As if Houston couldn’t become even more of a household name, she finally signed on with a manager to further her solo career. In 1983, she made her first solo national appearance on the Merv Griffin Show, performing “Home” from The Wiz. This led to even more music adjacent roles, including an opportunity to be a mainstay cast member on the Cosby Show, which she declined, and a guest appearance on Gimme A Break.

With her star shining brighter and brighter, her label, Arista Records, paired her up with Teddy Pendergrass on their 1982 hit song, “Hold Me.” This would be Houston’s first career hit, and would lead to her 1984 song “Take Good Care of My Heart” with Jermaine Jackson. 

Becoming “The Voice”

Finally, after a half decade of anticipation, Houston released her debut album, Whitney Houston, famously on Valentine’s Day 1985. It was met with mass amounts of praise, and declared Houston as one of the premier stars of the day. Whitney Houston stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 chart for 14 weeks, which to this day is the longest any debut album by a woman has stayed at the top. The album even began popping up in the top 10 of countries around the world, including England, Canada, and Australia. To this day, her debut is still the best-selling debut album by a female artist of all time.

In 1986, Houston’s momentum continued to grow. Appearances on talk shows and MTV helped propel her fame. Notably, with MTV Whitney became one of the groundbreaking Black artists that led to more people of color being featured on the channel. With the music video of another one of her hit songs, “How Will I Know,” Houston won the Best Female Video award.

The awards kept on coming as well. Her song “Saving All My Love For You” won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female and she won seven of the thirteen American Music awards that she was nominated for. All this success was derived from her debut album, something that has seldom been repeated.

Whitney, I’m Your Baby Tonight, and Beyond

Two years after her debut album, Houston released her second studio album, Whitney. This album, just like the last, was a raging success, in fact it became the first ever album to simultaneously be number one on both the UK and US music charts. The standout from this album, of course, is the legendary “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Whitney brought in another round of awards, with another Album of the Year nomination, multiple American Music Awards, and her first Soul Train Music Award. 

From here, Houston’s fame would never be questioned. She had the talent and the appeal to be one of the biggest crossover stars of all time. With Whitney and her following albums like I’m Your Baby Tonight, which included producer work from Luther Vandross, Babyface, and Stevie Wonder, Houston earned more opportunities outside of the music world. Notably, her starring role opposite Kevin Costner in 1992’s The Bodyguard, which featured Houston’s iconic version of Dolly Parton’s song, “I Will Always Love You.” 

Houston would continue trailblazing new Hollywood territory starring in and executive-producing multiple films, including Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife featuring Denzel Washington, and Cinderella featuring another young singer Brandy Norwood, and paved the way for multicultural representation in film production.

Then would come one of the most iconic moments of Houston’s career at Super Bowl XXV. In the midst of one of America’s largest conflicts of the 20th century, the Persian Gulf War, Houston would deliver one of, if not the most powerful rendition of the national anthem ever. This would land her in the top 20 of the Billboard charts, making it the highest charted position of any rendition of the national anthem. 

Houston cemented herself into the popular zeitgeist forever. She has become the standard for what a pop megastar should be. Whether it be with the microphone, on screen, or in the studio behind the soundboard, Whitney Houston is one of the most all encompassing musical superstars of all time. 

Who Influenced Whitney Houston

• Aretha Franklin
• Dionne Warwick
• Darlene Love
• Gladys Knight
• Roberta Flack

Who Was Influenced by Whitney Houston

• Mariah Carey
• Christina Aguilera
• Missy Elliot
• Lady Gaga
• Beyonce
• Brandy
• Monica

Whitney Houston’s Awards and Honors

• Grammys, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), (1986)
• Grammys, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), (1988)
• Grammys, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), (1994)
• Grammys, Record of the Year, (1994)
• Grammys, Album of the Year, (1994)
• Grammys, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, (2000)

Spotlight Tracks

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” (1987)

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” might be the best representation of the 80s that you can get. The song’s pop energy urges you to get up and dance away the day. On top of the fervent feel created by the production work, Houston’s four-octave vocal range allows her to seamlessly float across the song. The chorus is legendary for a reason. It is catchy and fun. But this song’s meaning is what elevates it even further for me. The emotion Houston lends to the lyrics exacerbates the longing to be loved that she has. This is truly one of the greatest songs of all time.

“I’m Your Baby Tonight” (1990)

This song is pivotal for many reasons in Houston’s career. This, along with the rest of her 1990 album I’m Your Baby Tonight, would help land her the national anthem in Super Bowl XXV. This song features banging drums and you can’t escape the commanding voice of Houston throughout the song. When listening, it feels like her voice enters your ears from every angle, creating a soundscape that only Whitney Houston could come up with. 

“I WIll Always Love You” (1992)

We can’t talk about Whitney Houston without highlighting “I Will Always Love You.” Despite this being a cover, she made it hers. Whitney Houston elevates it to another level with her vocal work in top form.  It is impossible for anyone to match the level of emotion that she puts into the song. Her range allows her to soar and turn it into a true ballad, or something out of an opera. This song also marked one of the most successful crossover moments in her career with the movie The Bodyguard.