As a child, Whitney Elizabeth Houston began performing as a soloist in the church choir. At fifteen she sang background vocals for Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls, and Jermaine Jackson where she caught the attention of music mogul Clive Davis. In 1983 Whitney signed a worldwide recording contract with Davis's Arista Records and would eventually sell over 200 million albums. However, her success came with its fair share of drug use, love affairs, and scandals.