No one, absolutely no one, could give you chills like Whitney Houston. Her transcendent voice — the one that effectively voided all other versions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — had the capacity to lift, cradle and soothe. And it’s been a decade since that gift and the woman who wielded it were taken.
Feb. 11 marks the 10th anniversary of Houston’s death, and this Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI marks 31 years since Houston graced the field to deliver arguably the most unforgettable rendition of the national anthem — her death and one of the brightest moments of her life inextricably linked on the calendar.
“Through her trials and triumphs, she gave us emotional, joyous, heartbreaking music that still serves as a soundtrack to so many special moments,” Ebony magazine wrote this week in a tribute to Houston that marked her Super Bowl XXV feat, which will also be highlighted in a new ESPN documentary.
“Whitney’s Anthem,” which explores the cultural and political impact of Houston’s 1991 performance, premieres Friday night on ESPN. The half-hour feature is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the singer’s greatest achievements.
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But, despite all the well-earned attention that moment receives, Houston, who began her career as a fresh-faced teenager and spent nearly 40 years in the music industry, has had more chill-inducing moments as a singer, an actress and an icon, than one can count. Here a just a few.
‘The Merv Griffin Show’
If one could point to exactly when a star was born, then this would be it. Houston, along with her mentor and musical Svengali Clive Davis, appeared on TV host Merv Griffin’s talk show in 1983. It was 21-year-old Houston’s first live TV performance; she performed “Home” from the Broadway musical “The Wiz.” Davis’s introduction set the tone immediately: “You either got it or you don’t got it and she’s got it.”
HBO’s ‘Welcome Home Heroes With Whitney Houston’
Days after the United States entered the Gulf War, Houston sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” at the country’s biggest sporting event. Her live version was turned into a single, with sales going to charities involved in the war effort. To extend the goodwill, Houston had planned to perform for the troops overseas, but the war ended a month after her performance. Instead, she held a concert for returning troops on Easter Sunday in 1991.
‘The Concert for a New South Africa’
In 1994, Houston was the first major artist to visit a post-apartheid South Africa. The singer would perform three concerts in total in honor of the country’s new president, Nelson Mandela.
The 1994 Grammy Awards
In one of the greatest moments on the history of the Grammy stage, Houston delivered a once-in-a-lifetime performance of her smash hit “I Will Always Love You.” The crowd at Radio City Music Hall went wild when Houston delivered the very first note, “Ifffff …” She took home three awards that night for album of the year, record of the year and best female pop performance.
The BET Honors
It was 2010, and Houston was one of five recipients of the BET Honors, an award show that celebrated the accomplishments of major talents in the Black community. Houston began her emotional speech by singing just a few lines of the gospel hymn “I Love the Lord.” Then the singer, whose struggle with substance abuse had been well-documented, delivered this powerful line: “It is a wonderful marvelous feeling to be looked at and not judged. Judged not for your flaws but for your triumphs.”
correction
An earlier version of this article reported the United States was about half a year into the Persian Gulf War when Whitney Houston sang at the Super Bowl. The war had begun in August 1990, but the United States did not enter the fray until January 1991. This version has been updated.
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