Died On This Date (February 11, 2012) Whitney Houston / Pop Music Icon
themusicsover Whitney Houston
August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012
Whitney Houston was an R&B singer who, by most accounts was one of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Born in Newark, New Jersey to a musical family that also included mother, Cissy Houston and cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was none other than Aretha Franklin. Following an early career that included fashion modeling and back-up singing for the likes of Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, and Lou Rawls, Houston found herself taken in by legendary hit maker, Clive Davis, who signed her to his Arista Records and released her self-titled debut in February, 1985. The album, which spawned several hit singles, went on to sell an astonishing 25 million albums worldwide. Her follow-up album, Whitney, became the first album by a female artist in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard album charts. Over the next several years, Houston released hit after hit. In 1992, she starred opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. The romantic-thriller was the 2nd highest grossing film worldwide that year, while Houston’s soundtrack went on to sell over 45 million copies thanks to such hits as “I’m Every Woman, “Run To You,” and of course, her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which sold over 12 million copies itself. The soundtrack reached #1 in virtually every country that does such tracking. On January 7, 1991, while the United States was locked in the Persian Gulf War, Houston performed what many consider the greatest version of the “Star Spangled Banner” that the Super Bowl has ever known. It was quickly released as a single and became the first and only time the national anthem was a massive pop hit. Houston donated her share to the American Red Cross. The following year, Houston married former New Edition member and rap star, Bobby Brown. The two had a daughter together but divorced in 2006. After several years of personal set-backs, Houston returned with a new album, I Look To You, in 2009. The album hit #1 in the US and went on to sell over 3.5 million copies worldwide. It was her first #1 album since The Bodyguard. In September of 2011, Houston announced that she was going to produce and star in a remake of the 1976 film, Sparkle. On February 11, 2012, while in Los Angeles for the Grammys, Whitney Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hilton Hotel room bathtub. Officials later ruled that she accidentally drowned as a result of a heart condition and chronic drug use. She was 48.
Own A Piece Of Rock and Roll History
What You Should Own
Wando was a popular Brazilian singer-songwriter who launched his career in 1969. A classically trained guitarist, he went on to release numerous albums over the next three decades. Throughout his career, his songs were recorded by several other Brazilian singers, and one even appeared in a popular Brazilian soap opera. His last album, Fêmeas was released in early 2012. On February 8, 2012, Wando died in a local hospital of heart related issues. He was 66.
Snuffy Smith was a notable luthier as well as a banjo picker himself who, over the course of his career, was entrusted by countless musicians for repairs and such. Working out of North Carolina, Smith developed the Snuffy Smith Bridge which is the preferred bridge of banjo pickers of all stripes and is sold all over the world. In fact, some Gibson banjos come already fitted with his bridge. Smith was reportedly suffering from different health issues in recent year and died of an apparent heart attack on February 4, 2012.
Phil Brown was the bassist for the English power pop band, the Records. After earlier being considered to play in Free and Mott the Hoople, Brown was hired by the Records. Formed during the late ’70s, the band went on to build a formidable cult following with some loyalists going as far as calling them the “British Big Star.” Drawing inspiration from the likes of Badfinger and the Raspberries, the Records began putting out records in 1979. That year’s Shades In Bed included the catchy single, “Starry Eyes,” which went on to become one of power pop’s most enduring songs. Although signed to Virgin Records, the band failed to catch on beyond cult status in the US, and split up in 1982. After the Records, Brown collaborated with 