Continuing our celebration of Black Music Month, this weekâs featured moments are dedicated to the best chart topping, record breaking, and soul stirring R&B/Soul singers from Whitney and Mary to Aretha and Chaka. Plus get the lowdown on the latest news and upcoming projects from each featured Diva. Whitney Houston – âI Will Always Love Youâ Kicking off the week, who can forget Whitney Houstonâs record shattering #1 hit âI Will Always Love You.â Houstonâs cover of the 1974 Dolly Parton original was released in 1992 as a feature on the soundtrack to the hit film The Bodyguard, which Houston starred in alongside Kevin Costner. âI Will Always Love Youâ debuted at #40 that year and two weeks later rocketed to the # 1 spot, spending a then record fourteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Houstonâs longest run at #1 and surpassing her previous 1986 hit âGreatest Love of All.â The single continued to dominate the industry that year, selling well over six million copies worldwide, making it the third best selling single in the world. âI Will Always Love Youâ also remains the biggest selling single by a female artist to this day. In contrast, the soundtrack album for The Bodyguard held on to the #1 position on the album charts for twenty weeks selling over 42 million copies world wide and spawned three other singles including âI Have Nothing,â âRun To You,â and a re-cut of the Chaka Khan hit âIâm Every Woman.â Houston closed out 1993 with two Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance along with two American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards including Top Selling Single, Top Hot 100 Single, Top R&B Selling Single, and Top R&B single of the year. âI Will Always Love Youâ also picked up a Soul Train Music award, MTV Movie Award, and the World Music Awardâs #1 Single of 1993 award. Today: Known as âThe Voiceâ Whitney Houstonâs 20 + year career takes a new turn this in 2008 as she plans to release her âcomebackâ album rumored to be titled âFlawless.â Helmed by Clive Davis, Houstonâs new album due in November features an A-List of producers rumored to include Ne Yo, Will.I.Am, Sean Garrett, Akon, Timbaland, The Clutch, and R. Kelly Although a tracklisting has yet to be finalized the Davis has said that four songs have been confirmed â “We’re not going to compromise who she is to fit into today’s hip-hop radio market,” Davis said. “The public wants Whitney material.” What do you think, can Whitney Houston reclaim her thrown as Mariah has?
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