The Iconic Whitney Houston and Her Enduring Influence on Gospel Music 

With the celebration of her 60th birthday, let us acknowledge the extraordinary legacy of the late musical icon, “The Voice,” Whitney Houston.

By doing that, we are presenting the long-awaited project, I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston. The project was released about four months ago by Gaither Music Group, Arista/Legacy Recordings, and the Whitney Houston Estate.

Beyond her iconic pop hits, Houston’s roots in Gospel played a pivotal role in shaping her unparalleled vocal prowess and emotive delivery.

Overall, the album includes 15 tracks and six previously unreleased songs, illustrating Whitney’s profound love for gospel music.

The album is available on CD and all digital streaming platforms through Gaither Music Group and Legacy Recordings.

Also, this album is accompanied by a documentary TV special produced by Barry Jennings and hosted by singer CeCe Winans. From Whitney’s first-ever performance to many breathtaking performances of gospel songs, the show explores her steadfast faith. 

Among the highlights are unforgettable performances at the American Music Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, and many others.

With Houston’s timeless and enduring voice, the project is sure to inspire generations to come. Being one of the most successful artists in music history, Whitney has sold over 200 million records worldwide.

Certainly, her seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart further cement her position as one of the most accomplished recording artists ever.

Moreover, her performance on the soundtrack to the film The Preacher’s Wife made it the best-selling gospel album of all time.

Whitney Houston was always destined for stardom

Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., and died on February 11, 2012.

Whitney grew up singing in a church as the daughter of background singer Emily (“Cissy”) Houston. She is also known to be the cousin of Dionne Warwick.

Moreover, while still in high school, she modelled for fashion magazines and sang backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. Clive Davis, the president of Arista Records, developed the gospel singer for crossover pop success at 19 years old.

Among the number-one hits from her debut album, “Whitney Houston” (1985), were “Greatest Love of All,” which became her signature song, and many more.

The second album, “Whitney” (1987), delivered four more number-ones. With Houston’s second album, “Whitney” (1987), four more number-ones were achieved (including “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”).

In 1992, Houston married Bobby Brown and made her motion-picture debut in The Bodyguard. The film featured her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”. The song remained at number one for a record breaking 14 weeks.

The film’s soundtrack dominated the Grammy Awards the following year. Houston had managed to win the Album and Record of the Year awards that night.

Throughout 90s, she continued to act in films such as Waiting to Exhale, and The Preacher’s Wife, whose soundtracks produced hit singles.