REMEMBERING WHITNEY HOUSTON

By Deborah Mitchell

When the news of Whitney Houston's death hit the airwaves over the weekend I was on the phone with a friend producer who stopped our conversation in  mid-sentence and screamed "Whitney Houston is dead, I gotta go and call my mom."

I quickly turned on the television and watched in disbelief as the news coverage leaked out. It's been non-stop ever since.  Four days later I still can't believe Whitney is gone.  The news came out of no where and while her death  caught us all by surprise, many people are not surprise her life ended on a tragic note.

International recording artist, jazz musician, Sherry Winston like many of us didn't know Whitney personally but knew talent when she saw it.  Sherry takes time to remember Whitney Houston.

STEVIE WONDER AND SHERRY WINSTON 2011

I was at a Peabo Bryson & Jeffrey Osbourne concert last weekend when I heard that Whitney had passed. Everyone in the audience including me was in shock when the buzz went around the room. No one wanted to believe that it was true. Friends who knew me came to me for clarification as though I had some insider information. I think that most people were hoping that somehow someone got it wrong and Whitney was still with us.  
 

Whitney and I both had ties to Arista Records and Clive Davis. During her entire career Whitney recorded for Arista Records and was nurtured by Clive Davis who made her a star.  In the 80’s Clive Davis hired me to run his Jazz label and interface with his Jazz roster at Arista.

When I think of Whitney, I think about the first time I heard her amazing voice, and was startled by her clarity of tone and the way she delivered a song. As a Jazz musician I loved her natural artistry, her perfect pitch and the way she took the entire music industry by storm. Every time you turned on the radio Whitney was always in heavy rotation.
                 
The day after her death, I was at a New York City Grammy party at Club 4040 New York City and everyone in the music industry was abuzz about Whitney and what happened. It was almost as if “our” Princess Diana had died. Whitney was everyone’s sweetheart and we didn’t realize it until she passed! I had no idea how much Whitney was loved by everyone regardless of color or musical preference.

I was so proud of all the people that she touched worldwide and what she had accomplished in her short lifetime.  Before her death Whitney sold over 200 million records and was the most awarded female artists of all time. Musicians, singers, entertainers of all stripes and all of her millions of fans will miss her. Whitney, rest in peace.

Sherry Winston is a Jazz Flutist who has performed in many of the major concert halls throughout the U.S. including the Kennedy Center & Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln Center & Carnegie Hall in NYC. Sherry performed at The White House for President and Mrs. Clinton and for former President George H.W. Bush.  

Check out Sherry Winston at Flying Flute Records or on her website 
http: //sherrywinston.comsherrywinston@sbcglobal.net

And Happy Birthday Sherry!!

If you are interested in TV placement or connecting with brands follow Debbie Mitchell on twitter (@TVProducerDeb) or email me at: ready4airtv@gmail.com or contact Rachel Ferrucci (@RachelFerrucci).