NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
As the world mourns Whitney Houston, a Nashville man recalls her fast rise to the top.
Roy Wooten heard the brand new talent before the rest of the world did. He and his brother, Joseph, worked on her debut album in New York City.
"She came bopping in the studio. She had some sneakers on. I was like, "Wow." Everyone was calling her "Nippy," that was her little nickname," Wooten recalled.
Wooten remembers Houston as a "skinny, unassuming young woman," but as soon as she took the microphone he said he knew Houston was about the light the world on fire.
"It was quick and we saw it coming. We would go to Arista Records and we would see this room full of merchandise, calendars [and] shirts. I was like, ‘Ok they are planning to really shoot her out of the cannon,' but it was right and it was really satisfying to see someone that was really deserving," said Wooten.
Wooten told Nashville's News 2 he played drums on two of Houston's songs, while his brother Joseph added background vocals.
"It was also fun to hear the songs you played on. I was like, ‘Oh, I'm on that record you know,'" Wooten told Nashville's News 2.
Wooten said there was an instant respect for Houston among the studio crew.
The album was released in March 1985 and topped the Billboard 200 chart for 14 weeks.
"When you see it go from zero to hero, it's really special. So that was Whitney Houston," said Wooten.
News of her death came as a shock.
"I think she was a step away from finding that grace again and it was going to be "the" comeback story," said Wooten.
Sadly, it was a story that ended far too soon.
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