It is with both extreme shock and sadness that we report that Ms. Whitney Houston has passed away. All this means is that her soul has passed from this Earth, and her soul is now at rest with the Creator.  Whitney, you gave us something that none of your detractors can take away. You gave us love, you made us dance, you made us cry, and you made us think. You truly paved the way for women in music, particularly women of color. Before your emergence, there seemed to have still been a sort of barrier that women, especially brown skinned women, could not fully cross. Yes, we already had Chaka, Patti, Tina, Gladys, and Aretha, but there was only one Whitney Houston. You served your purpose on this Earth, and now it is time for you to return home. God gifted you with a voice that was so good that it was often at times unbelievable. You will not be forgotten.

This is not the end of our recognition for Ms. Houston. Just like all of you, the Grown Folks Music family are all major admirers of both Ms. Houston and her music. We will collect ourselves and our thoughts, and we will supply a proper tribute.

“I Will Always Love You” was written by Dolly Parton. She recorded it in 1973 and again in 1982. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart both times.

And then there was Whitney Houston’s version.

Produced by David Foster for the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston re-arranged the song, broke it down and built it back up with a vocal performance that knocks your socks off. It was almost as if she had something to prove. Houston’s version of the song set records (staying at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks), sold hundreds of thousands of copies, achieved international success and won many awards including a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

“I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston was the title track of her third studio album and the song went to #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. The version of the song featured above, which was written produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid, was only released in the United States. The version of the song featured below was released internationally.

Oh you’ll know, yes you’ll know. You have the weekend to find out for sure.

“There’s a quiet place where I can talk to the Lord”

Please enjoy this Sunday selection. Live life, share love, and be blessed.

Don’t date yourself, but it’s likely this was the soundtrack for your high school, middle school or even college years. Either way, the 80′s were a fun loving, horrible fashion, good time having era. If you enjoyed his 80′s MTV flashback mix, add this to your collection for a dash of 80′s soul. Big ups to DJ Phaze for blessing us with another great mix. Hit the break for the playlist and enjoy!

GFM I Love the 80′s Soul & RnB by GrownFolksMusic

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Say what you want about Whitney, she’s back — and looks great! Check out the live clip after the jump.

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Bobby Kristina's 15th birthday

Whitney sat down with Oprah for a no-holds barred interview in what Oprah has called, “her best interview ever”. It was a very powerful and at times emotional interview, during which Whitney opened up about e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Check out part two, Bobby’s response & her (testimonial) performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, from her new album, I Look To You, after the jump and let us know what you think.

Whitney Houston on Oprah, Part 1 (full)

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