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Table of Contents
Whitney Houston
Full Name
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is Whitney Houston's full name.1)
Birth
On August 9, 1963, she was born in Newark, New Jersey.2)
Parents
Her parents were Newark city administrator John Russell Houston Jr. and Grammy-winning gospel vocalist Emily Drinkard.3)
Father
Houston's father served in the Army during WWII.4)
Godmother
Darlene Love, lead vocalist of the 1960 girl group The Blossoms, was her godmother.5)
Cousins
Houston is Dionne Warwick's and Dee Dee Warwick's cousin.6)
Nippy
Nippy Inc., Houston's management business, was called after a childhood nickname. When she was a newborn, her father dubbed her “Nippy”.7)
Growing Up
After the 1967 Newark riots, Houston's family relocated to adjacent East Orange, NJ. She was just four at the time.8)
Aretha Franklin
Houston met Aretha Franklin in a recording studio in the early 1970s when she was just 9 or 10 years old. Their families' friendship got stronger.9)
First Solo Performance
Houston made her first solo musical performance when she was 11 years old, in 1973. She performed “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.10)
Parents' Divorce
Houston's parents divorced in 1991 after formally separating in 1977.11)