Whitney Houston 2, 2003), and gospel singer Emily "Cissy" (Drinkard) Houston. Her elder brother Michael is a singer, and her elder half-brother is former basketball player Gary Garland. Her parents were both African American. Through her mother, Houston was a first cousin of singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was Darlene Love and her honorary aunt was Aretha Franklin, whom she met at age 8 or 9 when her mother took her to a recording studio. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a
Melissa Bell (singer) Melissa Bell (singer) Melissa Cecelia Ewen Bell (5 March 1964 – 28 August 2017) was an English singer. From 1993 to 1996, Bell was one of the lead singers of British R&B act Soul II Soul, with whom she released a single titled "Wish". She also created her own band called Soul Explosion, which started in 1999. Bell also worked with Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston, and Stevie Wonder. A native of London, Bell was of African, and West Indian descent through her Jamaican-born parents. She was a graduate of Southwark College in London Borough of Southwark. She later began working