60 Fun Facts About Whitney Houston

In which New Jersey city was Whitney Houston born in 1963?

She was born at Presbyterian Hospital, joined the choir at New Hope Baptist Church at five, and her 2012 memorial service was held in that same church.

Whitney's mother, a Grammy-winning gospel and soul singer who founded The Sweet Inspirations, was who?

Cissy trained her daughter to sing through her teens and turned down early record deals until Whitney finished high school.

Which of these famous singers was Houston's cousin?

Dee Dee Warwick and opera star Leontyne Price were cousins too, Aretha Franklin was an 'honorary aunt' and Darlene Love her godmother.

What nickname did Houston's father give her, later the name of her management company?

Nippy Inc. was formed in late 1986 and run out of her Fort Lee apartment, with her father John presiding.

According to her mother, Houston was named after which actress?

Blake was best known for the sitcom Hazel; Houston's own daughter would later be named for her husband.

Houston made her solo singing debut in church at age 12 with which hymn?

It was November 1975 at New Hope Baptist; around the same time she told her mother she wanted a music career.

As a teen model in 1981, Houston became one of the first Black women on the cover of which magazine?

She was spotted at Carnegie Hall, signed with Click Models and then Wilhelmina, and also appeared in Glamour and Cosmopolitan spreads.

Which record executive signed Houston to Arista in April 1983 after seeing her at Sweetwaters?

A&R man Gerry Griffith had seen her at Seventh Avenue South the night before and talked his boss into coming; she signed with her parents present.

Houston's first hit, the 1984 duet 'Hold Me', paired her with which soul singer?

It reached the top ten of the R&B and adult contemporary charts and later landed on her debut album alongside two Jermaine Jackson duets.

Houston's self-titled debut album was released on which holiday in 1985?

It entered the Billboard 200 at number 166 and took more than a year to hit number one, where it stayed 14 weeks.

Which advice columnist put Houston's first single 'You Give Good Love' on a list of 'trashy' rock songs?

Houston fired back in the Chicago Tribune; the song still peaked at number three and the next three singles all went to number one.

Houston's first Grammy came for which song, in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category?

Her performance of it at the ceremony also won her an Emmy; she was ruled ineligible for Best New Artist because of earlier recordings.

Which video made Houston the first Black female artist to get heavy rotation on MTV?

MTV had rejected 'You Give Good Love' as too R&B; the clip won her the 1986 VMA for Best Female Video.

In 1987 Houston's album Whitney made her the first woman ever to do what?

Whitney also topped the US and UK charts simultaneously and reached number one in every country it charted.

How many consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number ones did Houston score, a record that still stands?

'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' completed the run in April 1988, beating the six held by the Beatles and the Bee Gees.

'One Moment in Time', a UK number one for Houston, was recorded as a theme for which event?

It won her a Sports Emmy and was a top five hit in the US.

Houston performed at a 1988 Wembley tribute concert marking the 70th birthday of which imprisoned activist?

She had refused to work in South Africa under apartheid; six years later she played three concerts there for the newly elected president.

Which production duo gave Houston's third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, its more urban sound?

The title track gave the pair their first pop number one; it was also the first album on which Houston was executive producer.

Houston sang her celebrated 'Star-Spangled Banner' at which Super Bowl, in January 1991?

The vocals were pre-recorded, and a spokesman insisted 'This is not a Milli Vanilli thing'; the single hit the top 20 and returned to number 6 after 9/11.

Houston donated her proceeds from the national anthem single to which organisation?

She was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors and staged the Welcome Home Heroes concert for Gulf War troops at Naval Station Norfolk.

Who played the title role opposite Houston in her 1992 film debut, The Bodyguard?

The film grossed over $410 million worldwide despite mixed reviews and a row over her face being left off the posters.

'I Will Always Love You' was written and originally recorded by which country star?

Houston's version spent a then-record 14 weeks at number one, sold 24 million copies worldwide and won Record of the Year.

How many weeks did the Bodyguard soundtrack spend at number one on the Billboard 200?

It was the first album by a woman to manage 20 weeks and the first album ever to sell over a million copies in a single week under SoundScan.

Houston's Grammy for The Bodyguard made her the first Black woman to win Album of the Year in what dual role?

She had recorded six tracks for the soundtrack and produced two of them herself.

Houston is tied with Michael Jackson for most American Music Awards in one night. How many?

The 1994 haul came on top of eleven Billboard Music Awards for the Bodyguard soundtrack, itself a Guinness record at the time.

In the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, Houston played a TV producer named what?

Her single 'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)' became only the third song ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100.

Houston's 1996 Christmas comedy with Denzel Washington updated which 1948 movie?

She earned $10 million, then the most for a Black actress, and its soundtrack is the best-selling gospel album ever.

In the 1997 TV film Cinderella, which she also co-produced, Houston played which role?

Brandy took the title role; the multi-racial cast drew about 60 million viewers and gave ABC its best ratings in 16 years.

Houston's film production company, formed in 1996 with Debra Martin Chase, was called what?

Its aim was to bring untold aspects of African-American life to the screen; its first project was Cinderella.

'When You Believe', Houston's Oscar-winning duet from The Prince of Egypt, paired her with whom?

It led off My Love Is Your Love, her first studio album in eight years, which also featured Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott.

Houston's sixth and final competitive Grammy, in 2000, was for which song?

It won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; that same year the RIAA named her the top-selling female R&B artist of the century.

Houston and Debra Martin Chase were the first Black producers of a $100M film with which teen franchise?

The 2001 original with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews grossed over $165 million; she also produced The Cheetah Girls for Disney Channel.

How much was Houston's record-setting 2001 contract renewal with Arista/BMG worth?

The six-album deal came the same year rumours about her health spiked after the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special.

Houston married which R&B singer in July 1992?

They met at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards; their daughter Bobbi Kristina was born in March 1993 and the divorce was granted in 2007.

Houston's marriage was documented in a 2005 reality series that aired on which network?

The show got strong ratings but no second season after Houston declined to take part again.

In which interviewer's 2002 sit-down did Houston famously declare 'crack is whack'?

She admitted using various substances but denied having an eating disorder; her fuller confession came to Oprah in 2009.

In January 2000 airport security found half an ounce of marijuana in Houston's handbag in which US state?

She left Keahole-Kona airport before police arrived; the charge was dropped after a counsellor said she did not need treatment.

Who fired Houston from a scheduled 2000 Academy Awards performance after shaky rehearsals?

She had been due to sing 'Over the Rainbow'; her publicist blamed throat problems and Houston later admitted she was fired.

Which longtime friend and assistant of Houston's described their early romance in a 2019 memoir?

They met as summer camp counsellors in East Orange when Houston was 16; Crawford left her employ in 2000.

Houston's 2009 comeback album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, was titled what?

It sold 305,000 copies in its first week and launched the Nothing but Love World Tour, her first in over a decade.

Houston's final film, released six months after her death, was a remake of which 1976 musical drama?

She starred and executive produced; 'Celebrate', from its soundtrack, was the last song she recorded.

Houston died on February 11, 2012, at which Los Angeles-area hotel?

She was found in the bathtub of Suite 434 hours before her label boss's pre-Grammy party there; the coroner ruled accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use as factors.

Houston's last public performance, two days before her death, was an impromptu 'Jesus Loves Me' duet with whom?

It happened at the Tru nightclub in Hollywood; her final TV performance had been a gospel duet with Kim Burrell in 2011.

After her death, Houston set a record for a female artist with how many albums in the Billboard 200 at once?

'I Will Always Love You' also returned to the Hot 100 after nearly 20 years, peaking at number three.

Roughly how many records has Houston sold worldwide?

She sold more physical singles than any other female solo artist and left an estate of about $250 million.

Whitney's 2020 diamond certification made her the first Black artist with how many diamond albums?

Her debut and the Bodyguard soundtrack were the other two; The Bodyguard was the first diamond album by any female artist.

In 2020 Houston was inducted, on her first nomination, into which institution?

The same month her 'I Will Always Love You' video passed a billion YouTube views, a first for a solo 20th-century artist.

'Higher Love', a posthumous 2019 hit for Houston, was a remix by which Norwegian DJ?

The song was originally a bonus track on the Japanese edition of I'm Your Baby Tonight; the remix reached number two in the UK.

In 1978 the 14-year-old Houston earned her first standing ovation at Town Hall singing which Broadway song?

It was from Annie, sung during her mother's cabaret show; five years later she sang 'Home' from The Wiz on Merv Griffin.

In the mid-1980s Houston nearly took a role on which hit sitcom before her singing career took off?

She did land a cameo on Gimme a Break!, a Canada Dry ad and a Steak & Ale jingle in the same period.

Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the greatest singers of all time placed Houston at which position?

Only Aretha Franklin, her 'honorary aunt', ranked above her.

Which 'He's a Rebel' singer was Whitney Houston's godmother?

Aretha Franklin was an 'honorary aunt', and Houston counted Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick and opera star Leontyne Price among her cousins.

Houston graduated in 1981 from Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls' school in which New Jersey town?

Her mother turned down recording deals until she finished high school, insisting on the diploma first.

Houston was introduced to a national TV audience in June 1983 singing 'Home' from The Wiz on whose show?

She had signed with Arista just two months earlier after Clive Davis saw her at the Sweetwaters club.

In 1984 Houston duetted on 'Take Good Care of My Heart' with which member of a famous family group?

The track appeared on his album Dynamite, the same year her duet with Teddy Pendergrass gave her a first hit.

'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)' debuted at number one on the Hot 100 in 1995. Only how many singles had done so before?

Houston had advised Babyface to make the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack 'an album of women with vocal distinction'.

How much was Houston paid for The Preacher's Wife, making her Hollywood's highest-earning African-American actress?

The film's soundtrack, her first full gospel record, became the best-selling gospel album of all time.

Roughly how many viewers watched Houston's 1997 TV Cinderella, giving ABC its best ratings in 16 years?

The film earned seven Emmy nominations and starred Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg and Bernadette Peters.

At what age did Houston join the choir at New Hope Baptist Church, where she also learned piano?

Her mother Cissy sang in the Drinkard Singers and founded The Sweet Inspirations, so gospel ran in the family.

Guinness World Records has named Houston the highest-earning posthumous what?

After her 2012 death she had ten albums on the Billboard 200 at once, a record for a female artist.