Whitney Houston’s engrossing “homegoing” funeral service was a potent reminder of her local New Jersey roots and instantiation in traditional black Baptist gospel ritual, even as the service itself drove home how global, hybrid and ubiquitous her cross-over approach to superstardom had been. This roundtable considers the impact of Whitney Houston on singing, on music styles and formats, and on the business itself; and her contribution to the way we think about race, gender, class, and post-civil rights / post-soul politics.
With: Nelson George, Michael A. Gonzales, Margo Jefferson,
Scott Poulson-Bryant, and Danyel Smith
Moderator: Jason King
