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
Whitney Houston albums discography 1987's "Whitney". It also topped the album charts of several European countries and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Her albums Whitney Houston, "Whitney", "" and "" are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA. According to the RIAA, Houston is the top-selling R&B female artist of the 20th century, and the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States, with shipments of 57 million albums. In addition, until the launch of the RIAA's digital certification program in 2004, she had sold 16.5 million physical singles more than any other female solo artist in history. According to