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| Whitney Houston |
People do not stay at the top of their professions for their entire lives. Throughout history this is a fact that has remained true. Regardless the field of athletics, business or music, every successful person will give way to the next of his or her own generation. Many of you reading this blog may have experienced this fact first hand and either retired, or moved on to other endeavors from your first. We see this “changing of the guard” in the entertainment industry more so as new artists become popular in place of older ones who slow down from recording and performing. I recalled a conversation with a friend several years ago about whom I thought was the best vocalist at the time. Without hesitation I answered, Whitney Houston. We were having this conversation toward the late 1990’s when she was at the top of the charts and her performance level. After three films and several major hit songs there was no doubt of her success. But as my father used to say, “Time marches on”, and new talented young singers will emerge to launch their own successful careers; or a “passing of the baton” takes place. But usually this change is gradual and very transparent. All can see and hear both the seasoned veteran entertainer and the young up and coming artist performing within the same span of time. Usually the older entertainer is revered by the younger and the older appreciates the respect and work of the younger. Notice Aretha Franklin for many years well respected for her work but enjoying so many young singers following her steps. I only wish Whitney Houston was more visible today as she is truly given her rightful respect as a great artist. It is amazing to watch and hear female vocalist perform on today’s reality shows and reach for Whitney Houston songs. Those are major songs to try to perform and rarely do we hear someone pull off a good performance of one of Houston’s epic recordings. Nevertheless, it shows Houston raised the bar high for the next generation. Her problems are well documented and she is not the first nor will be the last to have challenges in life. With that being said I still would love to see her perform occasionally. News broke at the end of November 2011 that she completed filming of the remake of “Sparkle” with Jordin Sparks. Many are looking forward to the release of the film and also Houston on screen again. I’m one of her fans really wishing her the best!