Niaja Stringfield
COM-335
Title #1: Dynamite Diva of the Week: Whitney Houston
Title #2: We Will Always Love Her: Remembering Whitney Houston
Looking back over the life and career of one of the most beloved Black vocalists of all time.
This past February marked 8 years since the unfortunate passing of beloved singer and actress Whitney Houston.
One of the best-selling artists of all time, she recorded seven studio albums and two soundtracks over the course of
her career, totalling nearly 200 million albums sold worldwide. She also produced six films, completed six world tours,
and won a total of 415 awards. She is cited as an influence by many of today’s most popular singers, including
Beyonce and Ariana Grande. In honor of her many achievements and what would’ve been her 57th birthday, she is
this week’s Dynamite Diva of the Week! Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of her long and illustrious career.
1. Background Beginnings
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey. The daughter of
entertainment manager John Russell Houston, Jr. and gospel singer Emily “Sissy” Houston, Whitney took to
music at an early age. After performing solos in her church’s choir for several years, she began working as a
backup singer (at age 14!) to established artists like Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. This is how she was
discovered by the A&R department of Arista Records.
2. International Impact
Niaja Stringfield
COM-335
Houston rose to international fame in the 1980’s after releasing her first two albums and embarking on two
sold-out world tours. Alongside peers like Michael Jackson, Houston sought to reinvent and diversify the
public’s idea of pop music. She introduced gospel, jazz, and soul stylings into the pop canon and became
the first Black woman to have her videos played in heavy rotation on MTV.
3. Fantastic Film Career
Whitney Houston starred in five films over the course of her career; of these, three featured original music by
Houston and are among the best-selling soundtrack albums (and some of my personal favorites!) of all time
(“The Bodyguard,” “Waiting to Exhale,” and “The Preacher’s Wife.”). After serving as an executive producer
on the iconic 1997 television adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Cinderella,” she went on to produce
four Disney films, launching the careers of young women like Anne Hathaway (“The Princess Diaries”) and
Sabrina Bryan (“The Cheetah Girls”).
4. Abundance of Awards
Since she was hailed by Guinness World Records as the most-awarded artist of all time, it’s safe to say
Whitney had more than her fair share of trophies on the shelf! Among her 415 career awards were 22
American Music Awards (the most for any female artist until Taylor Swift in 2018), six Grammys, 15
Guinness World Records, and two Emmys. She also received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from
Grambling State University, Louisiana, and in 1997, her childhood elementary school (the Franklin School in
East Orange, NJ) was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing
Arts. Posthumously, Houston has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues
Music Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the National Library of Congress.
Whitney Houston’s influence reverberates through pop culture even today. Artists are still interpolating her hit songs,
and new tunes featuring her archived vocals are among the top sellers on the Billboard charts. In the eight years
since her passing, her life and career have inspired numerous books, films, tributes, and honors, but none have been
able to hold a candle to her effervescent, wholly unique voice and presence. Her legacy will continue to live on
through her fans and the incredible body of work she left behind, and she will always be considered one of the most
dynamite divas of all time.
Are you a big Whitney fan? Do you have a favorite among her songs? Who do you think should be the next Dynamite
Diva of the Week? Sound off in the comments below, and have a dynamite day!
