The gospel according to Whitney Houston: Whitney's gospel roots (gospel videos included)

Photo of Whitney Houston from AP file photos

Who Is Whitney Houston?

Whitney Houston, who released her new album, I Look To You, on August 31, 2009, has led a tumultuous life since reaching stardom with her self-titled debut album in 1985. However, before her rise to fame, her doomed marriage to Bobby Brown and subsequent drug use, Whitney Houston lived an almost charmed life.

Whitney Houston's Gospel Roots

Born into a family of prominent singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick, and godmother Aretha Franklin, Whitney began singing at her New Jersey church at age eleven when she was a member of a junior gospel choir. Her first solo performance at New Hope Baptist Church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." That experience changed young Whitney's life. In her bio, Whitney states, "I was aware of people staring at me. No one moved... When I finished, everyone clapped and started crying." Whitney has said it was not just that the applause that determined her career in music, that a career as a vocalist was the only way she could imagine to repay God for the gift of music. "God gave me a voice to sing with," she said. "And when you have that, what other gimmick is there?"

Whitney Houston's Mother - Cissy Drinkard Houston

According to Wikipedia, Whitney was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Growing up, Whitney sang gospel music with her mother. Cissy Drinkard Houston had started singing in the family gospel group, the Drinkard Sisters, who recorded for RCA Records. Cissy also performed with Dionne Warwick's first group, the Gospelaires, and later formed the four-piece group the Sweet Inspirations.

Whitney began performing with her mother at night clubs in the New York City area which is where she was eventually discovered. Although more than one person wanted to see Whitney signed to a recording contract in her teens, her mother insisted Whitney finish high school first.

Whitney Houston Releases Debut Album - 1985

In 1985 Whitney Houston released her debut album. When her delighted cousin Dionne Warwick presented Whitney with her first Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Saving All My Love For You," Whitney simply said, "Oh, my goodness. I must thank God, who makes it all possible for me."

U.S. Tour, Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert - 1987

Whitney stayed close to her gospel roots on tours like her 1987 summer tour of the U.S. where her mother traveled with the young star and often joined Whitney to sing back-up vocals on the gospel standard 'I Believe." In 1987 Whitney also contributed the gospel song 'Do You hear What I Hear? to A Very Special Christmas. In 1988, people looked forward to an all-gospel set which was planned as part of the Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert in London, which never materialized. Instead the audience was treated to Whitney and her mother singing the the gospel song "I Believe."

Whitney Houston Tours with the Winans - 1989

The summer of 1989, Whitney Houston joined her friends, gospel group the Winans on a tour of the US as a back-up singer. According to Whitney's bio, the tour was "perfectly timed for Whitney" as an "opportunity to return to her gospel roots."

"All The Man That I Need" - 1990

Whitney's third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990 and included the subtly gospel song "All The Man That I Need." Wikipedia notes that the video features Whitney declaring her love for God, as she sings He is "all the man that I need."

The Preacher's Wife - 1996

In 1996, Whitney starred with Denzel Washington in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, based on the 1947 classic, The Bishop's Wife, which starred Cary Grant and Loretta Young. She plays the gospel-singing wife of a pastor, a role that gave Whitney her strongest reviews so far. The San Francisco Chronicle said Whitney exuded "gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice."

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album - 1996

Whitney's lifelong dream of creating a pop/gospel album was realized when she recorded and co-produced The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album. The soundtrack to the film consists of gospel numbers and includes performances by Monica and Shirley Caesar and six gospel songs with the Georgia Mass Choir that were recorded at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. The album sold six million copies worldwide and becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time.

One Wish: The Holiday Album - 2003

In late 2003, Whitney Houston released One Wish: The Holiday Album, a compilation album of traditional Christmas songs, but her last studio recording was 2002's Just Whitney.

Whitney Houston's Turbulent Years

During the late 1990s and into the mid 2000s, Whitney's "good-girl" image changed as her marriage began to unravel and she fell into substance abuse. However, it appears that Whitney Houston's gospel roots may have gone deeper than many thought. After appearing at her lowest on the reality TV show "Being Bobby Brown" and going through a turbulent divorce from Brown in September of 2006, Whitney Houston has just released her first studio album since 2002.

I Look To You - 2009

I Look To You was released on August 31, 2009 following the successful release of the overtly gospel title single in July 2009. Speaking about why the album was named after the song "I Look to You," Houston has said: "The last several years spiritually, this song says all I wanted to say. There are times in life when we go through certain situations - some not so good. You have to reach for a higher strength, you have to reach deep inside yourself, spend time with yourself to make some corrections that go beyond your own understanding and lean on a higher understanding. For me this song puts it all in check. If I did not have my faith I wouldn't be as strong today."

I Look To You

And when melodies are gone,
in you I hear a song.
I look to you.

My levees are broken
My walls have come
tumbling down on me

The rain is falling.
Defeat is calling.
I need you to set me free.

Take me far away from the battle.
I need you.
Shine on me.

Maybe Whitney has found all the man that she needs in the Lord after all.