throwing my hat in the ring
Whitney Houston was my first concert. I was 10 or 12? I had to choose between her and the Pointer Sisters. My brother took me. It was at an outdoor place called Pine Knob near Detroit. It was sold out. It was at the height of her rise to fame on the first album with the single "i wanna dance with somebody" still in the #1 spot. and my friends, i heard almost no pop music that night. instead I got a serious schooling about gospel music and what a voice, many voices, can do. she had many guest singers come on stage, people that if I remembered who they were my jaw (now knowing about music more) would likely hit the floor. sure she ended the night with her pop single. but the concert - it transformed my little young music brain, previously raised on hair metal, pop radio, and oldies stations - all painfully whitewashed - into a curious beast starving for music of all kinds. she had a great talent and many many human struggles. i'm sad that she is gone.