Whitney Houston is an American singer and actress with a musical pedigree; her mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick were all well known soul singers, and her godmother was Aretha Franklin. Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother at night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million records, worldwide. She is ranked as the fourth best-selling female artist in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 54.5 million certified albums. Known as 'The Voice' for her 'powerful, penetrating pop-gospel' vocals, she has been listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.