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
Just Whitney sales stand at approximately 1 million units. In 2003, "Just Whitney..." was nominated at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards in the category for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year. "Just Whitney..." is Houston's fifth studio album, that she recorded after renewing her contract with Arista for a record $100 million. It is mixed with soulful and R&B ballads to dance songs. Houston said that she wanted to make a "very soul oriented" album, something she felt was missing on the radio. It was a departure in style from her previous album "My Love Is Your Love", which was