Whitney Houston
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

MUSIC PHENOMENON
Whitney Houston has wowed the music world in a relentless fashion. Grammy-winning and record-setting have characterized her amazing resume since her professional debut. Houston's first album released in 1985 spun off three number one singles and initially sold more than 13 million copies, making it (at the time) the best-selling debut album for a female solo artist. Saving All My Love for You, released in June 1985, won Houston her first grammy-award, and it was followed by five additional Grammys. Houston's 1987 follow-up album was the first album by a female artist to enter the charts at Number One and she was the first artist in history to score seven consecutive Number One hits, surpassing milestones set by the Beatles and the Bee Gees.

"I am extremely honored to be recognized by Black Entertainment Television in this way," said Houston about the honor. "BET is the preeminent television network among African Americans and has long been a critical outlet for Black music. It's thrilling to be selected as their inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and I see this prestigious award as another major milestone in my career."

MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER
Houston's first film feature, The Bodyguard, banked more than $400 million and her soundtrack from the feature became the most successful soundtrack ever released, with sales in excess of 33 million units. Houston went on to co-star in other blockbuster films, such as the screen adaptation of Terry McMillan's best-selling novel Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife with Denzel Washington.

"Whitney's many achievements in film and music over the past 15 years made her the natural choice for our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award," said Curtis Gadson, senior vice president of entertainment programming and network operations. "Her voice is incomparable and she broke ceilings for female artists that many never imagined were possible. In only 15 years, Whitney has accomplished a lifetime worth of achievements."

TELEVISION PIONEER
"The Wonderful World of Disney" production of the musical "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," which originally aired on November 2, 1997, added the medium of made-for-television movies to Whitney's long list of accomplishments. The ABC network special featured Whitney as The Fairy Godmother, Brandy as Cinderella and Whoopi Goldberg as The Queen, along with an pioneer, all-star multi-cultural cast. The program attracted a U.S. audience of more than 60 million viewers, and gave the network its best Sunday night rating in over a decade. Whitney and her company, Brown House Productions, served as executive producers on the project, which went on to garner seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy Special. The special won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special. The home video version shattered previous records to become the best-selling video ever of a made-for-television movie. Houston's latest producing endeavor is a feature film titled The Princess Diaries which is scheduled for release August 2001.

ASTUTE BUSINESSWOMAN
In addition to Brown House Productions, Houston is also the head of several corporations, including Nippy, Inc. and the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children. A philanthropist at heart, Houston has made significant contributions to the United Negro College Fund, Children's Diabetes Fund, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and several HIV/AIDS-related organizations. Today, 15 years after the release of her first album, Houston is still going strong, enjoying the success of her recent Greatest Hits release.

Congratulations Whitney! On this special occasion, the 1st Annual BET Awards, we pay tribute to Whitney Houston for a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry.