Being around people like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe.

Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. 1985–86: Rise to international prominence
With production from Michael Masser Kashif Jermaine Jackson and Narada Michael Walden Houston's debut album Whitney Houston was released in February 1985. While Houston was still in school her mother continued to teach her how to sing.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9 1963 – February 11 2012) was an American recording artist actress producer and model. The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time at number four.