Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston and Primary Wave Music will release Houston’s first live concert album, Whitney Houston: The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) on Friday, November 8, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of her historical visit to South Africa.
The new live album features music from the unprecedented concert event including Whitney’s greatest hits, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “How Will I Know,” “I Have Nothing,” “Greatest Love of All,” “I Will Always Love You,” and other landmark classics including “Amazing Grace,” and her rendition of Charlie Smalls’ “Home” from the Broadway musical, The Wiz.
The collection features three configurations with slightly different track listings on CD, vinyl, and digital for the first time. Also included in the CD and digital collection is the first-ever release of the studio recording, “Love Is.” To pre-order, click here. Check out a video performance of “I Have Nothing,” from the concert film.
Early reactions of the live recordings start with Sony Music Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer, Clive Davis, who signed Whitney to Arista Records when she was 19 years old. Davis says, “If you want to experience the greatest female contemporary voice of all time, you must see Whitney Houston’s South Africa Durban concert film and own the album. There will never be another Whitney Houston.”
“When Sony sent me the remastered version of the music, I was floored by the quality of the sound and purity of her voice,” says Pat Houston, the executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “This album will remind, not just her core fans, but music lovers worldwide of Whitney’s virtuosity as a recording artist. I’m sure her fans will love and appreciate the live iteration of her hit classics. The fans have been waiting on this project for more than a decade and they certainly have expressed and made their sentiments known.”
With more than 220 million combined albums, singles and videos sold worldwide during her career, Whitney Houston has established a benchmark for superstardom. She is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, has eight multi-platinum albums and was the first female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1. She is also the first Black recording artist to receive three RIAA Diamond-certified albums (by a female, male or group).
Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Music Entertainment in partnership with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music will release the concert film in select cinemas worldwide on October 23rd and 27th, featuring the never-before released concert from Durban, South Africa, which has been beautifully remastered in 4K with remastered audio. The screenings will take place in nearly 1,000 cinemas worldwide in more than 30 countries.
In addition to the United States, the concert film will open in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Zambia. Tickets for the theatrical screenings are on sale now, click here for further details.
In 1994, Whitney Houston performed a series of three concerts in South Africa including Durban at Kings Park Stadium on November 8, Johannesburg (November 12), and Cape Town (November 19), which made her the first major Western recording artist to perform in the newly unified, post-apartheid nation following President Nelson Mandela’s historic election win.
The three performances included a combined 200,000 plus attendees and were more than concerts; they were a celebration of freedom, hope, and unity. Whitney’s powerhouse voice and emotional delivery brought joy and inspiration to a country newly liberated. Additionally, portions of the proceeds from her concerts benefited numerous local South African children’s charities through her foundation.
The concert film, Whitney Houston – The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) is a film produced and directed by Marty Callner. It is a production of Cream Cheese Films. The executive producer is Pat Houston. Sony Music Vision is the distributor.