Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9th, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Cissy Houston, a successful rhythm and blues backup singer, and cousin of singer Dionne Warwick. Whitney began singing in a church choir in her hometown, and was singing solo by the age of 11. She sang as a backup singer for Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls, and her mother. And although Whitney modeled in various magazines and appeared on TV shows such as Give Me A Break, she was destined to sing. And sing she did. Elizabeth first hit was a duet with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984, called "Hold Me." Although Whitney signed a contract with Arista Records in 1983, her self-titled debut album wasn't released until 1985. Nevertheless, it sold over 22 million copies. That album produced hits such as "You Give Good Love," "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know," and "The Greatest Love of All." Houston cleaned up at several awards shows, and received two Grammys (Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "You Give Good Love" and Favorite Soul/R&B Video for "Saving All My Love For You"), and two Billboard Music Awards (Top New Pop Artist and Top New Black Artist (combined LPs and singles). In 1986, Whitney was honored with six Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video ("How Will I Know"), and Rolling Stone's Top Album of the Year. Her next album, entitled Whitney and released in 1987, sold 19 million copies, and entered the charts at No. 1; the first time ever for a female. The album garnered her two American Music Awards and a Billboard Music Award. At the 1988 Grammy Awards, she won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female ("I Wanna Dance With Somebody") and a Billboard Music Award for Top Pop Singles Artist (Female). In 1990, Whitney released the album I'm Your Baby Tonight, selling 10 million copies worldwide. It was a far cry from her previous releases, but still garnered her two more American Music Awards and four Billboard Music Awards. Hits from that album include "All The Man That I Need" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Whitney managed to find time for love amid her burgeoning career, and married singer Bobby Brown in July 1992. She went on to become a mother shortly thereafter in March 1993, giving birth to baby girl Bobbi Kristina. Whitney and Bobby's marriage can be described as turbulent, at best. Between domestic abuse claims, drug abuse allegations and Bobby's many, many arrests, Elizabeth constantly stands by her man. Whitney's next career move had her playing a bratty singer with an obsessed fan in the movie The Bodyguard (1992), alongside Kevin Costner The soundtrack of the film went on to sell over 34 million copies and helped put her singing career back on track by garnering three of her biggest hits -- "I Have Nothing," "I'm Every Woman" (a cover of Chaka Khan's original song), and "I Will Always Love You" (a cover of Dolly Parton's original song). She won nine Billboard Music Awards and received three Grammy Awards in 1994. The next additions to her mantle were eight American Music Awards. She went on to win the Sammy Davis, Jr. Award at the Soul Train Music Awards, and a Juno Award in Canada for Best-Selling Album (foreign or domestic) for The Bodyguard. In 1995, Whitney was inducted into the Soul Train Music Awards Hall of Fame. Her next acting role was in Waiting to Exhale, in which she contributed "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," to the soundtrack. In 1996, Whitney starred alongside Densel Washington in The Preacher's Wife and received Grammy Award nominations for the album's soundtrack. Despite rumors that they despised each other, Whitney and Mariah Careycollaborated to record "When You Believe" for the animated film The Prince Of Egypt. The single can be found on My Love Is Your Love -- Whitney's first new LP in eight years. Through her illustrious career, Whitney has always felt a sense of duty toward the less fortunate. She formed the Elizabeth Foundation For Children; a non-profit organization that assists children with problems such as homelessness, cancer and AIDS. Although Whitney has stood by her marriage, it has continued to be rocky. In 2000, the future looked bright for Whitney, but her personal life took a nosedive. She was arrested in Hawaii on drug charges, was sued by her own father, and lost a lot of weight. This, coupled with several performances she canceled at the last minute, gave way to rumors that she was addicted to illegal drugs. Whitney eventually admitted to it in a television interview with Diane Sawyer. Still, she continued releasing new albums such as Greatest Hits in 2000, Love, Whitney in 2001, Just Whitney... in 2002, and One Wish, a holiday album in 2003. While she put her acting career on hold, Whitney has begun producing movies such as the Disney blockbuster The Princess Diaries (2001). In 2001, Whitney broke Mariah Carey€™s record for the biggest deal with a recording company. She re-signed with Arista Records for a whopping $100 million US. In spite of everything, Whitney remains a confident and accomplished singer and actress who deserves the many accolades she has been showered with.Credit: Askmen