Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963–2012) was an American singer, actress, and producer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she was raised in a musical family with strong gospel roots. Her mother was the gospel singer Cissy Houston. Houston began singing in the church choir as a child and became a soloist at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Throughout her career, Houston incorporated gospel elements into her pop and R&B music. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. In 1996, she starred in the film *The Preacher's Wife*, which featured a soundtrack of gospel music. That soundtrack holds the record for the highest-selling gospel album of all time. A posthumous gospel compilation album titled *I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston* was released in 2023. The album includes the 2023 release of a 1981 recording titled "He Can Use Me." Other gospel-tinged songs in her catalog include "Jesus Loves Me" (1992), "When You Believe" (1998), and "I Look to You" (2009).