Early life of Whitney Houston

Lore & Background

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born on August 9, 1963, at Newark Presbyterian Hospital to Emily 'Cissy' Houston and John Russell Houston Jr. Her mother discovered she was pregnant around the time cousin Dionne Warwick made her chart debut in December 1962. On the day of Houston's birth, her mother was recording background vocals with the Drifters at Atlantic Studios and was 'well past her due date.' Houston's first name came from actress Whitney Blake of the sitcom Hazel, and her middle name from her paternal grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Houston. Her father was of African American, Lenape, Scottish, and English descent; her mother was of African American heritage with some English and Irish descent. Houston was the only daughter and youngest child, with two elder half-brothers and another older brother Michael born exactly two years apart. Her maternal relatives included singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and distant cousin Leontyne Price.

Initially living on Newark's 8th Street, the family moved to Wainwright Street. As an infant, Houston earned the nickname 'Nippy' from her father, inspired by a comic book character. In 1967, she injured her neck when a clothes hanger caught near her throat; doctors found it was 'within an inch' of severing her vocal cords. That same year, the family witnessed the Newark race riots. Her mother formed the Sweet Inspirations, and Houston witnessed her mother recording with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Solomon Burke. By age six, the Sweet Inspirations performed in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley. In 1970, the family moved to a Cape Cod home on Dodd Street in East Orange. Houston was bullied at school by darker-skinned girls due to her lighter complexion and long braids. She began singing in the children's choir at New Hope Baptist Church and made her public solo debut at age twelve singing 'Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.' She later attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, an all-girls Catholic school, where she felt out of place as one of the few black students.

Reader's Guide

Whitney Houston's early life established the foundation for her legendary career. Born into a musically gifted family, she was surrounded by gospel, soul, and pop influences from birth. Her mother Cissy's rigorous training and her own experiences singing in church honed her extraordinary vocal ability, which later earned her the title 'The Voice.' The move from Newark to East Orange after the 1967 riots shaped her childhood, as did the bullying she faced at school. Her early exposure to the recording studio and live performances with her mother and the Sweet Inspirations provided invaluable experience. By age fourteen, she was already working as a background singer and session vocalist, and by fifteen she had recorded her first lead vocal. These formative years—marked by family, faith, and music—directly preceded her modeling career and eventual signing with Arista Records in 1983, leading to her debut album and international superstardom.

Did You Know?

• Houston's nickname 'Nippy' came from a comic book character Nippy Nibbs, known for getting into mischief.
• At age four, a clothes hanger came within an inch of severing Houston's vocal cords.
• Houston made her public solo debut at age twelve singing the hymn 'Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah' at New Hope Baptist Church.
• Her first name was taken from actress Whitney Blake, a star of the 1960s sitcom Hazel.