The Whitney I Knew (10 page)

Boy, were we glad she was along on
that
tour! That bus driver was getting away with murder, according to Whitney. She schooled
us on touring protocols, empowered us with knowledge—empowered us with
herself
.

When Whitney decided to take a break at the height of her career, there was no stopping her. She took some time to hang out with CeCe and me, even though it meant defying her record label's president, Clive Davis, and all the other executives. So be it. It was important to her to keep it real.

Now, every great singer—including Whitney—started by singing backup for someone. It's a great way to hone your skills. Clearly, though, Whitney didn't need honing at that point. The real reason she came to tour with us was to have fun—to feel not like “Whitney Houston.” She did it to step out of the spotlight and into our lives, where she could be a little more at ease. When she was around my family, the weight of her fame seemed to lift a bit. She could slip into the background and sing for singing's sake.

Still, when people came to our concerts and then realized that Whitney Houston was singing behind us, all the attention shifted. The cameras went straight for Whitney. CeCe and I would crack up.

When we were all together, we enjoyed every moment. There were no masks to wear; it was just friends singing their favorite songs and having a good time. If you watch Whitney's and CeCe's performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, you'll see them bringing down the house. You'll also catch a glimpse of two sisters ushering in a worship service right there at the Grammys.
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Whitney showed up so many times to sing with us that we started keeping an extra microphone on set, just in case she burst onto the stage. I remember one time Whitney called me because she was in LA at the same time we were. CeCe, Whitney, and I had each been nominated for an Image Award. Whitney found out that CeCe and I were leaving the awards early because we had two concerts.

“What time y'all singing tonight?”

“At 9 and at 10:30. Why?

“Okay, I can't make the first one, but I'm going to come out for the second show.”

And she did come out. She arrived at 10:25 pm. And before the evening was over, she was on stage with us, singing.

From then on, I always had to remind her that she was Whitney Houston and that she had her own band. She didn't care. She loved singing with us; she loved being with us. And we loved it too.

One final tidbit about how crazy Whitney could be when it came to CeCe's and my music. One night on tour in Russia, I was relaxing in my hotel room when the phone rang. It was Whitney.

“BeBe, listen. Listen hard . . . and just obey me.”

“What? Why are you calling me?”

“Just shut up and listen. CeCe is probably coming to your room right now; I just got off the phone with her. She said she's going home. She's homesick and wants to be with her kids. But I'm telling you, don't say nothing except ‘yes' and ‘okay.' If she leaves, I'll fly to Russia and finish the tour.”

Whitney started giving me all kinds of information: she had booked her flight; she was on her way;
she
would finish the tour. By the time she finished telling me all this, I heard a knock on my door.

“Hold on, Whitney; someone's at the door.”

It was CeCe. She was crying. “I'm going home. I'm not doing this . . .”

CeCe rambled on and on . . . She was a mess. “I just talked to Whitney. She said she'll finish the tour for me. Okay?”

I remembered what Whitney said: “Just say ‘yes' and ‘okay.' ”

And that's what I did.

After CeCe left, I picked up the phone and Whitney asked, “Was that her?”

“Yeah, that was the Reluctant Star. She said she's going home.”

“Okay, now if she doesn't cool off and change her mind, I'll be on a plane and will finish it for her.”

Luckily, CeCe changed her mind and stayed, and Whitney was off the hook.

Would Whitney really have dropped everything to fill in for CeCe? Yes. When she called, she already had her flight reservation. Did Whitney have a full month to give so we could finish the tour? No. But she would have made time. That much I know.

She was crazy.

They are weak, but He is strong.
Lyrics to the song that resonated in Whitney's soul

The common denominator between Whitney and myself—and CeCe and the rest of my family—was a love for God and for gospel music. She was most happy in that setting. In fact, when CeCe first heard Whitney sing, she didn't know who she was, but like me, she knew she had to be a gospel singer because Whitney was belting out some commercial jingle “like she'd been saved!” is how CeCe put it to
People
magazine back in July 1989. Interestingly enough, the first time Whitney heard CeCe sing, which was on our self-titled album in 1987, she became an instant fan. “We come from
the same place,” Whitney told
People
. And she wasn't talking New Jersey. She was talking about the church.

With that kind of connection, is it any wonder that we became family? Our bond made us want to work together too. So before CeCe and I headed into the studio to record tracks for our
Heaven
album, which released in 1988, Whitney and CeCe and I had agreed that we'd record a song together specifically for this project. We were so excited about this, you'd have thought we were eight-year-olds headed to Disneyland.

One thing you should know about me: I love sharing the microphone, the stage, and the studio with great talent. Now put yourself in my shoes. Imagine yourself as a singer, and the person that many consider the finest singer in the world at the time—and certainly the top-selling female artist at that time—can't wait to join you on your record.

I can't even write the correct words to express the elation I felt.

When our record company—Capitol Records—caught wind that Whitney was going to record with us, they could hardly contain themselves. Understandably, though, Whitney's label—Arista Records—didn't like the idea of sharing their global phenomenon with anyone. So, like many conversations with Whitney, she told me to expect a call from her lawyer about the “cans and cannots” of the recording.

Soon after she and I hung up, I received a call from her rep. He was kind but brief. Our conversation went something like this:

“Hello, Mr. Winans. I know you were expecting my call, and I hate to tell you this, but even though Whitney said she could record with you and your sister, I'm going to have to be the bearer of bad news.”

He had my attention.

“After reviewing her contract with Arista, we've determined that she cannot participate in the recording at this time. I hope you understand.”

“Of course. I understand.”

I was disappointed but not at all surprised. That's the reality of the industry.

About ten minutes later, Whitney called back, all excited—just checking to make sure that her rep had phoned and that everything was okay. The excitement in her voice tipped me off to the fact that she had no idea the recording was off the table. I decided to be cordial and proceeded to tell her that CeCe and I understood her label's position; perhaps in the future we could try again.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

I started explaining my conversation with her rep, but she cut me off. “Boy, hang up this phone. They're going to call you right back.”

I don't know what she said to them, but the guy sure called back singing a different tune. And the brief lyrics to this tune sounded something like this:

“Hello, Mr. Winans. I'm just calling back to tell you all is well, and that Whitney will be able to do that recording with you and your sister after all—whenever you're ready. Okay?”

“Oh, okay.”

“Yes, sir. Have a good day.”
Click
.

After we hung up, I counted down: five, four, three, two, one.
Ring, ring
.

Whitney was back on the line.

“
What
did you say to them?”

All I remember of her response was laughter.

It was on. And when we all got into the studio (we actually recorded two songs together for that album, “Celebrate New Life” and “Hold Up the Light”), we were like kids on a playground—we didn't want to leave.
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Some of the pictures from that studio session hang in my home office. Though it's a faraway memory now twenty-five years old, it feels like it was yesterday. I remember the white shirt and jeans Whitney wore and her hairstyle; I even remember the perfume she was wearing. It was a blessed time.

But what I remember most of all were the moments she'd open her mouth and let those notes fly. She sang on a song that my friend Percy Bady and I wrote. It was as if heaven had stepped into the room. And as we sang to our hearts' content, I could feel that family bond rise and grow stronger. The bond was more than blood, it was spirit. Sure, we were “family,” but we were more than that. We were brothers and sisters in Jesus. Heaven came down that day and painted our time with joy and wonder, grace and blessing.