Today we celebrate legendary singer Whitney Houston. She was born on this day in 1963 in Newark, New Jersey to Grammy-winning singer Cissy Houston and John Russell Houston Jr.. She grew up singing in church, and refined her craft at a young age singing background vocals. Her mother insisted she finish high school before pursuing music, but Houston enjoyed a successful modeling career as a teenager; she became one of the first Black women featured on the cover of a fashion magazine when she appeared in Seventeen. She would eventually sign a recording contract with Clive Davis and Arista Records in 1983 at the age of 19.
After two years of honing the sound of her what would become her debut album, Whitney Houston was released on Valentine's Day in 1985. She went on to release seven studio albums in her life, selling over 220 millions records, and became one of the best-selling artists in history. Her accolades include eight Grammy awards, two Emmy awards, 28 Guinness World Records, among very many others.
On March 31, 1991, Houston performed at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia for 3,500 servicemen and women returning from the Gulf War. The show was broadcast on HBO as Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston. This clip captures her timeless performance of her 1990 I'm Your Baby Tonight ballad "All The Man That I Need".
