MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Jackson (11th), Jordan, Butler (38th), Horhn, Simmons (12th), Turner, Dawkins, Simmons (13th), Jones, Butler (36th), Jackson (32nd), Fillingane, Frazier, Stone, Watson, Hill
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO COMMEMORATE THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF WHITNEY ELIZABETH HOUSTON OVER THE PAST 48 YEARS AND EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO HER FAMILY UPON HER DEATH.
WHEREAS, Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Whitney Houston was the youngest daughter to famed singer Cissy Houston and John Russell Houston, Jr., cousin of Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick, and god-daughter of Aretha Franklin; and
WHEREAS, Whitney Houston began following in her mother's footsteps at the age of 11 by performing at her Church, New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, and a short time later began performing in shows alongside her mother in New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s; and
WHEREAS, as a teenager, Ms. Houston earned album credits for vocals with the Michael Zager Band, Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls, Herbie Mann, the Neville Brothers, Bill Lawswell's Material, Jermaine Jackson, and various other artists; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston began modeling in the 1980s and became the first woman of color to grace the cover of Seventeen Magazine; and
WHEREAS, at an early point in her concert career, Whitney performed in the Mississippi Coliseum warming up for Luther Vandross and stole the show; and
WHEREAS, as an accomplished model, Ms. Houston's striking good looks and girl-next-door charm lead her to be a sought-after model and featured in multiple layouts, including Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Young Miss; and
WHEREAS, upon seeing Ms. Houston perform in 1983, Arista Records' founder and President, Clive Davis, immediately signed her and, within a year after being signed, Ms. Houston had her first top-5 R&B hit with Teddy Pendergrass, titled; "Hold Me"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston's debut album, "Whitney Houston," was released in 1985, was certified 13-times platinum (diamond) in the United States, and sold 25,000,000 copies worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston's debut album earned her many distinctions, including biggest selling debut album by a solo artist, first female artist to debut an album with three Number One hits, first female Artist to be "Artist of the Year" and "Album of the Year" on Billboard charts, and first African-American female artist to have consistent and heavy rotation on MTV; and
WHEREAS, this early success and acceptance opened many doors for other African-American women vocal artists; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston's second album, "Whitney," was released in 1987 and debuted at Number One on the Billboard album chart, marked the first time in music history that a female artist debuted at Number One in both the United States and the United Kingdom, gave her seven consecutive Number One hits, which broke the record held by the Beatles and The Bee Gees, made her the first female artist to generate four Number One hits from one album, was certified nine-times platinum, and sold 20,000,000 copies worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston's third album, "I'm Your Baby Tonight," was released in 1990, earned Ms. Houston back-to-back Number One hits, peaked at Number Three on the Billboard album charts, and was certified four-times platinum and sold 8,000,000 copies worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston delivered the most stunning performance of the National Anthem before the 1991 Super Bowl, and more than 20 years later, her performance is not only one of the most spectacular moments in American sports history, but is also the gold standard for all Super Bowl performances; and
WHEREAS, in 1992, Ms. Houston made her movie debut in "The Bodyguard" with Oscar-winning Actor and Director Kevin Costner and not only did the film break box office records worldwide, but the soundtrack album, which featured six Whitney Houston songs, was the biggest selling motion picture soundtrack of all time and voted Grammy-winning "Album of the Year"; the soundtrack was certified 17-times platinum and sold more than 42,000,000 copies worldwide; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston continued to be a successful actress with roles in "Waiting to Exhale," "The Preacher's Wife," Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" and Ms. Houston's success as a songstress continued with vocals on each soundtrack, leading them to similar sales accomplishments as her solo albums; and
WHEREAS, upon the release of "The Preacher's Wife" soundtrack, Ms. Houston accomplished a lifelong dream with the gospel-filled soundtrack, on which Ms. Houston sang lead vocals on 14 of the 15 songs and which became the biggest selling gospel album in Billboard chart history and was certified three-times platinum; and
WHEREAS, after an eight-year absence, Ms. Houston released her fourth studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998 and the album had a string of gold and platinum chart hit singles worldwide and featured vocals from her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown; and
WHEREAS, as Ms. Houston celebrated her 15th anniversary as an Arista recording artist, she released "Whitney: the Greatest Hits" in 2000 and the album was certified three-times platinum and had worldwide sales of 10,000,000; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston released her last studio album, "I Look to You," in 2009, and the album entered the Billboard album chart at Number One, Ms. Houston's best opening week sales, and has been certified platinum; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston had sales of more than 170,000,000 combined album, singles, and videos worldwide during her career with Arista Records; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston has established the benchmark for stardom and has been named music's most awarded female artist of all time, with an amazing tally of 411 awards (as of 2006), a tally that is certainly topped by her two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 American Music Awards, as well as MTV Video Music Awards in the United States and Europe, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, Soul Train's prestigious Quincy Jones Career Achievement Award in 1998, and her induction into the Black Entertainment Television Walk Of Fame in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston has won a worldwide following by reaching deep within her soul and finding common threads with her millions of fans; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston not only had the voice of an angel but a heart of gold; Ms. Houston's humanitarian efforts are as impressive as her accolades; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston raised funds for numerous causes, including children around the world, from South Africa to Newark, generating more than $300,000.00 for the Children's Defense Fund as a result of a 1997 HBO concert; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston supported Nelson Mandela and the antiapartheid movement, and while a model refused to work with any agencies that did business with the then-apartheid South Africa; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston participated in a benefit concert that raised over $1,000,000.00 for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston worked tirelessly for St. Jude Children's Hospital, the United Negro College Fund, and the Children's Diabetes Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston founded the Whitney Houston Foundation for the Children, which cares for such problems as homelessness,
children with cancer and AIDS, and issues of self-empowerment; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston's foundation was awarded a VHl honor for its charitable work; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston founded the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts to provide expanded arts-focused
educational opportunities for its student body and the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston served as a spokesperson for a youth leadership conference; and
WHEREAS, out of the generosity of her heart, Ms. Houston donated her portion of the proceeds from the release of the National Anthem as a single to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund and therefore was named to the American Red Cross Board of Governors; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston supported, performed and visited many of our service men and women fighting in the Persian Gulf War; and
WHEREAS, The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, Inc., agreed to donate royalties and net proceeds from all single sales of 'The Star Spangled Banner' together with 'America the Beautiful' to the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Houston was a world-class entertainer and humanitarian:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize Ms. Houston as a world icon and a once-in-a-lifetime talent; honor Ms. Whitney Houston for her charitable efforts and extend the deepest condolences of the Legislature to the family of Ms. Whitney Houston.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Whitney Houston's surviving family, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.