A class act

The black Barbie doll is back. Still looking, at the age of 36, young enough to be a Miss Black America contestant. Hair impeccably coiffured, figure still sleek, smile still supernova, a grown up Cosby kid made in heaven. Yes, Whitney is back, her three octave (or is it four?) range out to charm people out of their lethargy and go out in millions to buy her new album.

Strictly speaking, it is not a new album. Whitney - The Greatest Hits is a 36-track collection, comprising two sets. Cool Down , the first one, has all the ballad hits in their original version. Throw Down, the second set, has all the uptempo signature cuts and sizzling club mixes. Newly recorded are duets with Enrique Iglesias and Deborah Cox. With the release of this double set, Whitney's record label wants to celebrate the career of one of the world's bonafide divas who has amassed record and video sales exceeding 110 million copies worldwide.

Back in 1985, Whitney was a phenomenon waiting to happen. And because every new star creates her own genre, her success has helped other blacks, other women, other smooth singers find an avid reception in the pop market place. As Whitney, who is most critical about herself, admitted then, "Here I come with the right skin, the right voice, the right style, the right everything. A little girl makes the crossover and Vooom! It is a little easier for the others."

But let us be honest. Her pedigree may also have made it a little easier for her. Whitney comes from vocal royalty. Enlily (Cissy) Houston, her mother, has been a fixture in gospel and pop for 30 years. Dionne Warwick, who crafted a unique pop style before Whitney was born ("Whitney was singing from the minute she popped out," she says) is her cousin. Aretha Franklin, the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is known as Auntie Ree around the Houston home.

Whitney "popped out" on August 9,1963. For the most part the Houstons were an ordinary family, except that mom would occasionally hit the road to sing backups for Elvis, Aretha or Dionne. While Cissy toured with her group, the "Sweet Inspirations", John, Whitney's father and the group's manager, tended the children. Today, John runs Whitney's three companies.

At 17, Whitney completed her extended family when she met the "sister I never had". Robyn Crawford-tall, slim, severely handsome - was 19 then; they were nearly inseparable till Whitney started dating Bobby Brown years later. Robyn dropped out of Monmouth College, where she had played basketball on scholarship, and later became Whitney's personal assistant. They shared a North Jersey flat with a view of Manhattan. Because of their easy intimacy, the tattle mill ground out the story that they were lovers. Both women shrugged off the rumour. Whitney alluded to family: "My mother taught me that when you stand in the truth and someone tells a lie about you, do not fight it. I am not with any man. I am not in love. People see Robyn with me and draw conclusions. Anyway whose business is it if you are gay or like dogs? What others do should not matter. Let people talk. It does not bother me because I know I am not gay. I do not care."

Whitney Houston's career has seen her win many international awards. She got her first Germany Award with her debut album, followed by four more, one in 1987 and three in 1994 for "The Bodyguard". Other entertainment awards, include 21 American Music Awards (the most for any female recording artist), 15 Billboard Music Awards, 11 NAACP Image Awards, six People's Choice Awards, six Train Music Awards, five World Music Awards, two Emmy's and MTV Music Video Awards.

The films that she has been in however, have been trailblazers. In "The Bodyguard", her first film, she got under the sheets with the then sex-symbol, actor-director Kevin Costner. The film not only broke box office records worldwide, but was ultimately responsible for the biggest selling motion picture soundtrack album of all time.

Three years later, in 1995, "Waiting To Exhale", in which she starred with Angela Bassett, Loreta Devine and Lela Rochan, went on to gross over 70 millions at the box office!

All that money and fame has not gone to Whitney's head. For over a decade she has devoted both time and energy to helping the less fortunate. In 1989, she formed The Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, Inc. This non-profit organisation assists homeless children with cancer and AIDS around the world. In addition, the United Negro College Fund, The Children's Diabetes Fund, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and several noted AIDS-related organisations have recognised her efforts with awards. She says, "These are the awards that make a difference to my life and I really value them."

VINOD ADVANI

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