The Voice

"The greatest love of all, is learning to love yourself." Whitney Houston

I plan on releasing more posts dedicated to the trailblazers that have contributed to history more specifically Black History. I am sad to say that Whitney Houston has passed away she was a trailblazer as well. I heard about her passing Saturday evening and the tears just began to roll down my face. I am sure you will see and hear many negative comments about Whitney Houston. Let me say yes it is no secret that she had issues with drugs and alcohol but she did try to find a road to redemption. As she said in her Oprah interview in 2009 its a day to day struggle. Whitney Houston was more than an entertainer; she was a mother, daughter, sister, friend and meant so much to many people. We are in mourning but one thing is clear she can finally exhale. As someone who has family and friends that have struggled with drug addiction and alcohol abuse and it is day to day struggle but I have seen many people defeat the illness while others have succumb to the demons. At the end of the day I will always love and respect this woman.

She was dubbed "The Voice" and she was timeless. Many people that knew her well said she was a kind woman and had a wonderful sense of humor.

Whitney Houston's voice is a gift from God, Allah, Buddha, whoever you answer to. Her mother Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick her cousin, and Godmother Aretha Franklin had a huge influence on her. She honed her skills in the church.

In 2009 the Guinness Book of World Records cited her as the  most awarded female-act of all time with 6 Grammys, 2 Emmy's, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards with a total with 415 awards in her lifetime.  She sang the National Anthem in 1991 so well it later became a Billboard single no other artist has sang the Star Bangled Banner like Whitney.

Whitney released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. She sold  over 170 million records singles, videos, etc. worldwide.

Her last album Million Dollar Bill was released in 2009 and debuted 1 it continued to do well on the charts. In 2010 she was honored at the BET Honors she celebrated 30 years in the music business at that time and it had been 25 years since her debut album.

She was America's Sweetheart, The Black Barbie, The Voice, these were the names she was called by many adoring fans. I truly love and  will miss you. She was one of my heroes.

Rest In Peace
Sunrise August 9, 1963- Sunset February 11, 2012
Whitney Elizabeth Houston