“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt;”>The late Whitney Houston will be remembered as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. And with good reason.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Who can argue with her 170 million albums sold, her countless awards and seven consecutive No. 1 hits, plus the influence she had on so many young female singers who followed in her footsteps through the years.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>As we all look back on a wonderful talent whose life ended way too soon last week at 48 years old, let us not forget that Whitney Houston also provided us with one of the most epic moments in American sports history.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before Super Bowl XXV in January of 1991 is the gold standard of all performances of this song. It also came at a time when this country needed it the most.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The war in the Persian Gulf was just beginning, and patriotism was in the air at Tampa Stadium in Florida as everyone waved American flags throughout the pre-game ceremonies.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>After getting the introduction from veteran NFL announcer Frank Gifford, Whitney proceeded to give a performance of the ages. I was at a big Super Bowl party at a friend’s house, and everyone was in a trance. Many people cried during Whitney’s performance. It was that powerful and meaningful.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>In just those few short moments, Whitney Houston captured the soul of this country while at the same time letting the troops know how much we all loved and appreciated them as they entered the field of battle. Let’s go kick some serious butt in the Desert. This beautiful woman with the angelic voice really brought it home on this night as nobody else has done before or since.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the end of the song, Whitney raised her arms in exultation. That merely put the cap on what was one of the greatest performances on the biggest stage in our nation’s history.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>I almost felt sorry for the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, because their game became somewhat of a sideshow to the brilliant performance which preceded the kickoff. How do you top that? Even the players were caught up in the wave of emotion. Despite the fact that they were about to play the most meaningful game of their lives, they cheered with the same emotion as the rest of us after Whitney’s performance.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Not surprisingly, Whitney’s version of the Star Spangled Banner became a smash hit on the pop charts. It was released as a single and it reached No. 20 on the Billboard Top 100 charts. It was the only time in history that the Star Spangled Banner was released as a single.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Like everyone else who followed Whitney’s career and loved her music, I had my favorite songs. “You Give Good Love” and “I’m Your Baby Tonight” are my personal favorites.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>However, when I visited YouTube to listen to all of Whitney’s great songs in remembrance, the first one I called up was the video from that Super Bowl. Although it was performed more than 21 years ago, I got just as wound up as it did when I witnessed it for the first time at that Super Bowl party.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>RIP, Whitney Houston. We lost your wonderful voice way too soon.
