The other thread has gotten too long http://prince.org/msg/8/375930

This once has been created to continue the discussion.

Part 3 http://prince.org/msg/8/376212

Listening to Whitney's albums.

Her debut is all memories of my older brother who was a huge Whitney fan and died in 1995.

I remember why I don't play it.

Such a singer with an incredible voice.

The discipline in her delivery.

Where are blessed to live in a world where her vocal performances have been captured.

SUPRMAN said:

Listening to Whitney's albums.

Her debut is all memories of my older brother who was a huge Whitney fan and died in 1995.

I remember why I don't play it.

Such a singer with an incredible voice.

The discipline in her delivery.

Where are blessed to live in a world where her vocal performances have been captured.

Plus she was only 21 at the time the album was released (February 1985; her birthday wasn't until August). It's rare nowadays to see a twentysomething performer having the same skills Whitney had when her self-titled debut came out.

That video of Whitney and El Debarge embracing in the club 3 nights ago breaks my heart.. The one with Sheila E crying and Toni Braxton singing Why Does It Hurt So Bad on the red carpet is very touching as well...

I also wanna add that I really have a problem with them still going on with that party last night while Whitney's body was still upstairs in her suite..

I just finished watching the Whitney tribute by J Hud on BET honors and I was tearing up...she nailed it.

She's the perfect choice to do another.

banks said:

That video of Whitney and El Debarge embracing in the club 3 nights ago breaks my heart.. The one with Sheila E crying and Toni Braxton singing Why Does It Hurt So Bad on the red carpet is very touching as well...

I also wanna add that I really have a problem with them still going on with that party last night while Whitney's body was still upstairs in her suite..

I didn't see the El Debarge vid...do you have the link by chance?

banks said:

That video of Whitney and El Debarge embracing in the club 3 nights ago breaks my heart.. The one with Sheila E crying and Toni Braxton singing Why Does It Hurt So Bad on the red carpet is very touching as well...

I also wanna add that I really have a problem with them still going on with that party last night while Whitney's body was still upstairs in her suite..

I saw the video too. It was like old friends reuniting. I'm sure El is HURT over the news too as is everyone else.

SNL just did this in tribute to Whitney:

[img:$uid]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/Whitney_Houston_tribute_image%2C_SNL_broadcast_moment_of_silence_%2C_2012.2.11.jpg/800px-Whitney_Houston_tribute_image%2C_SNL_broadcast_moment_of_silence_%2C_2012.2.11.jpg[/img:$uid]

banks said:

The SNL was a blink and you missed it.

babynoz said:

banks said:

That video of Whitney and El Debarge embracing in the club 3 nights ago breaks my heart.. The one with Sheila E crying and Toni Braxton singing Why Does It Hurt So Bad on the red carpet is very touching as well...

I also wanna add that I really have a problem with them still going on with that party last night while Whitney's body was still upstairs in her suite..

I didn't see the El Debarge vid...do you have the link by chance?

http://www.tmz.com/2012/0...rge-video/

"Take Good Care of My Heart" and "Lover For Life" are so well crafted and exquisitely delivered that I could run both in a continuous loop.

[Edited 2/12/12 12:30pm]

Whitney Houston: Brilliant, troubled pop star dies

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer – 3 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year ago, Clive Davis' glittery pre-Grammy showcase was winding down after a number of electric performances when the grandest name of all, Whitney Houston, walked on stage to close the evening with what promised to be a show-stopping tribute to her famous cousin, Dionne Warwick.

Instead, what transpired was yet another troubling display of erratic behavior from the superstar, and a foreshadowing perhaps of what was to come.

Though she looked spectacular, her once-stunning voice sounded frayed and hoarse. She didn't seem to follow the rehearsed plan and looked out of sorts at times. Even when Davis, her longtime mentor and producer, announced that the show was over, Houston appeared to try to get back on the microphone, only to be stopped by Davis with the joke: "I found you when you were 19; I'm still your boss!"

On Saturday, Houston was once again the focus of Davis' annual party, but her presence was a posthumous one. Pop music's former queen, until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was tarnished by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on the eve of the Grammy Awards she once reigned over. She was 48.

Houston was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said. "There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent," he said.

The cause of death was unknown, said Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster.

Houston's death came on the night before music's biggest showcase, the Grammys. She will be remembered Sunday in a tribute by Jennifer Hudson, organizers said. Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful and peerless vocals rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

Davis, went ahead with his annual concert Saturday at the same hotel where her body was found. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence. Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, held downstairs in the hotel where her body lay for most of Saturday night.

Aretha Franklin, her godmother, said she was stunned.

"I just can't talk about it now," Franklin said in a short statement. "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen."

Houston seemed to be born into greatness. In addition to being Franklin's goddaughter, she was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick.

She first started singing at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., as a child. At the church on Sunday morning, a couple of sympathy cards were tied to a fence post. "To the greatest songstress ever," one said, and tied next to it was a small bouquet of fresh flowers.

The pastor asked for strength for Houston's family, said churchgoer Shawn Cooper, 32, of Newark. He said he hadn't regularly attended church but felt compelled to go on this Sunday.

"The Houston family means a lot to this community, they have done a lot for this community, and being there for them is the best thing we can do as a community," he said.

In her teens, Houston sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to respond to those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image and already had children of his own. (The couple had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, born in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges including DUI and failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

Brown was getting ready to perform at a New Edition reunion tour in Southaven, Miss., as news spread about Houston's death. The group went ahead with its performance, though Brown appeared overcome with emotion when his voice cracked at the beginning of a ballad and he left the stage.

Before his departure, he told the sell-out crowd: "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you, Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage."

Brown said he decided to perform because fans had shown their loyalty to the group for more than 25 years. During an intermission, one of Houston's early hits, "You Give Good Love," played over the speakers. Fans stood up and began singing along.

It would take several years for the public to see the "down and dirty" side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2009. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

Houston was to make her return to film in the remake of the classic movie "Sparkle." Filming on the movie, which stars former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, recently wrapped. Houston was one of the producers, and it tells the story of a family of singers ravaged by drug abuse — a story Houston knew all too well.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tenn., and Bruce Shipkowski in Newark, N.J., contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Edited 2/12/12 12:26pm]

CNN needs to move on.

Why the fuck is Fuse playing some shit about B'Weave?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how something like this could happen to someone so talented, and why others of incredible talent dodge this bullet. Last night, as I heard the news of her passing, it was difficult to reconcile the memory of her as a luminous, insanely talented singer to who she became towards the end of her life. I think I had always explained someone like Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf’s addiction as a result of their incredibly difficult childhood (and perhaps I thought that that pain and suffering somehow made their music resonate more deeply for all of us that was touched by their voice). But Whitney didn’t have that pain in her past, so far as I know. Why, then, did she self-destruct?

Here is the best explanation I can come up with right now. There are some people who, when they perform, come close to God/Transcendence/Spirit. Maybe even they merge with this, and something bigger than them sings/performs through them. I saw this when I lived in Zambia and attended church there, I have seen that most recently in seeing Prince perform. We see that in Whitney. Jimi Hendrix is a perfect example of this, Santana, Eric Clapton. Some saw this so strongly in John Coltrane that they started a church here in San Francisco. I’m currently reading a book, Musicians in Tune, that discusses musicians transcending while playing.

I don’t know the link between this and drugs: if drugs makes the doors to transcendence more open, or if it helps those “normal” moments when you are not transcending, and trying to figure out your sense of self (ego) when you are idolized not for who you are but for what moves through you. People who have this connection are both literally blessed, and in a way cursed, because sometimes the intensity of what they experience is bigger than they are (more than their sense of self/ego can handle). And they turn to drugs, or an entourage of people who say “yes”, to try to balance this all out.

There are likely other things at work here: like someone who is creative and thinks outside of the box might be more open to drug experimentation, and someone who has a personality where they singularly devote themselves to a craft in order to master it perhaps would be more likely to have that focus when it comes to other aspects of living, such as drug use.

I think the best example of someone who is supernaturally gifted but not lost in drugs is Prince. He seems to balance the intensity of his gift with religion; he is a devoted Jehovah’s Witness. If Whitney had stayed rooted in the church, would that have made her more grounded and prevented her addiction issues? How can a community best support a person who has such a huge gift?

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

Whitney Houston dominated the pop music charts for most of two decades. From 1984-1999, she had 11 No. 1 pop hits and an additional 11 top 10s. Here are some of the most memorable.

Hold Me with Teddy Pendergrass (1984) The 20-year-old ingenue more than holds her own on this duet with the R&B legend. It was the first release from her debut,Whitney Houston, and appeared on his Love Language.

You Give Good Love (1984) The sultry ballad gave the singer her first No. 1 R&B hit, but also established her as a crossover pop star by rising to No. 3 on the BillboardHot 100.

Saving All My Love For You (1985) Houston's first No. 1 pop hit finds her holding out hope for happiness with a married man. It was the start of seven chart-toppers in a row. It was also her first of three female pop vocals Grammy winners.

How Will I Know (1985) The exuberant dance track showed a more playful side as she ponders whether the guy she likes feels the same way.

Greatest Love of All (1986) Her cover of the poignant song originally recorded by George Benson for the filmMuhammad Ali became one of her most memorable hits.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)(1987) This Narada Michael Walden-produced dance jam won Houston her second pop female Grammy.

Didn't We Almost Have It All (1987) A regret-tinged breakup tune that was nominated for Grammy song of the year.

Where Do Broken Hearts Go (1988) The melancholy ballad was her record seventh straight No. 1, and made her the first female artist with four from the same album (Whitney).

I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990) The edgy title track from her third album went to No. 1 and was nominated for a Grammy.

All the Man That I Need (1990) Her ballad about keeping love strong during tough times features a Kenny G sax solo.

I Will Always Love You (1992) Houston's signature song, which was written by Dolly Parton and produced by David Foster, spent 14 weeks at No. 1. It also fueled phenomenal sales of the soundtrack to the hit Kevin Costner film The Bodyguard, in which Houston also starred. She won Grammys for record of the year and female pop vocal, and The Bodyguard won album of the year.

Exhale (Shoop Shoop) (1995) Ballad about letting go was written and produced by Babyface for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack.

Heartbreak Hotel with Faith Evans and Kelly Price (1998) A resolute Houston bounces back from love's pain with the help of a pair of soulful girlfriends.

It's Not Right but It's Okay (1998) Houston puts an unfaithful lover on blast on the track from My Love Is Your Love. It won her her sixth and final Grammy, for R&B vocal performance

http://www.usatoday.com/l...53055720/1

[Edited 2/12/12 12:42pm]

Bobbi Kristina Had a 'Complete Breakdown,' Says Source

Feb 12, 2012

As medics arrived to an unresponsive Whitney Houston in room 434 of the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, the late pop star's daughter had also heard the news and had a "complete breakdown," according to a source.

Bobbi Kristina, 18, was in the lobby of the hotel around the time when Houston's body was pronounced deadat 3:55 p.m.

Houston was found partially submerged in the bathtub of her room, according to the source.

"[Bobbi Kristina] was screaming, 'What's wrong with her? What's wrong with her?," says the source.

According to police, a member of Houston's entourage first found Houston, 48.

Later that evening, at around 11 p.m., Bobbi Kristina was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center "because she was having a complete breakdown," adds the source.

http://www.people.com/peo...82,00.html

If anyone is worthy to pay tribute to Whitney at the Grammys, it's Jennifer Hudson. She did an absolutely outstanding performance in tribute to Whitney at the 2010 BET Honors Awards. She gave her an amazing tribute in life and she'll give her an amazing tribute in death. Go J. Hud!!!

Identity said:

estelle81 said:

If anyone is worthy to pay tribute to Whitney at the Grammys, it's Jennifer Hudson. She did an absolutely outstanding performance in tribute to Whitney at the 2010 BET Honors Awards. She gave her an amazing tribute in life and she'll give her an amazing tribute in death. Go J. Hud!!!

Thank you. I cried through that.

An early photo of Whitney.

estelle81 said:

If anyone is worthy to pay tribute to Whitney at the Grammys, it's Jennifer Hudson. She did an absolutely outstanding performance in tribute to Whitney at the 2010 BET Honors Awards. She gave her an amazing tribute in life and she'll give her an amazing tribute in death. Go J. Hud!!!

Nearly brought me to tears... Jennifer needs to sang for the Grammys!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of her!! Seems like she is improving on the oversinging... awesome job!

madness said:

I’ve been thinking a lot about how something like this could happen to someone so talented, and why others of incredible talent dodge this bullet. Last night, as I heard the news of her passing, it was difficult to reconcile the memory of her as a luminous, insanely talented singer to who she became towards the end of her life. I think I had always explained someone like Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf’s addiction as a result of their incredibly difficult childhood (and perhaps I thought that that pain and suffering somehow made their music resonate more deeply for all of us that was touched by their voice). But Whitney didn’t have that pain in her past, so far as I know. Why, then, did she self-destruct?

Here is the best explanation I can come up with right now. There are some people who, when they perform, come close to God/Transcendence/Spirit. Maybe even they merge with this, and something bigger than them sings/performs through them. I saw this when I lived in Zambia and attended church there, I have seen that most recently in seeing Prince perform. We see that in Whitney. Jimi Hendrix is a perfect example of this, Santana, Eric Clapton. Some saw this so strongly in John Coltrane that they started a church here in San Francisco. I’m currently reading a book, Musicians in Tune, that discusses musicians transcending while playing.

I don’t know the link between this and drugs: if drugs makes the doors to transcendence more open, or if it helps those “normal” moments when you are not transcending, and trying to figure out your sense of self (ego) when you are idolized not for who you are but for what moves through you. People who have this connection are both literally blessed, and in a way cursed, because sometimes the intensity of what they experience is bigger than they are (more than their sense of self/ego can handle). And they turn to drugs, or an entourage of people who say “yes”, to try to balance this all out.

There are likely other things at work here: like someone who is creative and thinks outside of the box might be more open to drug experimentation, and someone who has a personality where they singularly devote themselves to a craft in order to master it perhaps would be more likely to have that focus when it comes to other aspects of living, such as drug use.

I think the best example of someone who is supernaturally gifted but not lost in drugs is Prince. He seems to balance the intensity of his gift with religion; he is a devoted Jehovah’s Witness. If Whitney had stayed rooted in the church, would that have made her more grounded and prevented her addiction issues? How can a community best support a person who has such a huge gift?

You know we all can offer up the WHY's and why didnt this or that be done, but someone is dead, and that is when everyone chooses to "monday morning quarterback" their lives so to speak, not that we dont feel or care for the loss, we almost lose sight of someone dieing, but pushing it off with reasons. Now we can speculate drugs or this or that because of her current history, and yes it may be the reason for the actual death, but again we fail to look at WHAT put those things in their hands, not for blame but more for the WHY did u turn that way. AND as i have always said DRUGS are not a criminal problem they are health and its a disease, but never treated that way. I think comparing though is sometimes unfair, these things start so early in life, people are gonna say "why if so talented did she..." but people always ask the questions usually after the person is dead, or getting close to that point. TRUE its hard to make a change in somene elses life, and WHitney like others was her worst enemy, but she also had a bad circle around ALL THE TIME, her world was isolated, she was this HUGE star and expected to be a HUGE star who when she slipped, i think she turned to things that many turn too when they ARENT the number one focuse anymore. When Whitney hit she had the light, but as years moved on the light dimmed as others emerged, and sometimes people cant cope DESPITE the countless praise she always got from others coming up now.

Ray J Rushed to Whitney's Hotel, But Turned Away by Cops

Whitney Houston Daughter Bobbi Kristina Rushed to the Hospital

Whitney I love you so much!!

This is so tragic. I am really at a loss for words. I am just trying to honor the gift she shared with us and enjoy some of my favorite songs from her today.

I love this song and video. I love George so much. Thinking that we almost lost him a few months ago and now we have loss Whitney really hit me when I saw this on VH1 Soul today. They have been showing her videos all day.