Free The Whitney I Knew by BeBe Winans, Timothy Willard

She said she’ll finish the tour for me. Okay?”
    I remembered what Whitney said: “Just say ‘yes’ and ‘okay.’ ”
    And that’s what I did.
    After CeCe left, I picked up the phone and Whitney asked, “Was that her?”
    â€œYeah, that was the Reluctant Star. She said she’s going home.”
    â€œOkay, now if she doesn’t cool off and change her mind, I’ll be on a plane and will finish it for her.”
    Luckily, CeCe changed her mind and stayed, and Whitney was off the hook.
    Would Whitney really have dropped everything to fill in for CeCe? Yes. When she called, she already had her flight reservation. Did Whitney have a full month to give so we could finish the tour? No. But she would have made time. That much I know.
    She was crazy.

    â€œShe knew deep down that in the final analysis,
it was always between her and God.
It was never between her and the world.”

    P AT H OUSTON

CHAPTER SIX
Whitney, Jesus Loves You
    They are weak, but He is strong.
Lyrics to the song that resonated in Whitney’s soul

    The common denominator between Whitney and myself—and CeCe and the rest of my family—was a love for God and for gospel music. She was most happy in that setting. In fact, when CeCe first heard Whitney sing, she didn’t know who she was, but like me, she knew she had to be a gospel singer because Whitney was belting out some commercial jingle “like she’d been saved!” is how CeCe put it to
People
magazine back in July 1989. Interestingly enough, the first time Whitney heard CeCe sing, which was on our self-titled album in 1987, she became an instant fan. “We come fromthe same place,” Whitney told
People
. And she wasn’t talking New Jersey. She was talking about the church.
    With that kind of connection, is it any wonder that we became family? Our bond made us want to work together too. So before CeCe and I headed into the studio to record tracks for our
Heaven
album, which released in 1988, Whitney and CeCe and I had agreed that we’d record a song together specifically for this project. We were so excited about this, you’d have thought we were eight-year-olds headed to Disneyland.
    One thing you should know about me: I love sharing the microphone, the stage, and the studio with great talent. Now put yourself in my shoes. Imagine yourself as a singer, and the person that many consider the finest singer in the world at the time—and certainly the top-selling female artist at that time—can’t wait to join you on your record.
    I can’t even write the correct words to express the elation I felt.
    When our record company—Capitol Records—caught wind that Whitney was going to record with us, they could hardly contain themselves. Understandably, though, Whitney’s label—Arista Records—didn’t like the idea of sharing their global phenomenon with anyone. So, like many conversations with Whitney, she told me to expect a call from her lawyer about the “cans and cannots” of the recording.
    Soon after she and I hung up, I received a call from her rep. He was kind but brief. Our conversation went something like this:
    â€œHello, Mr. Winans. I know you were expecting my call, and I hate to tell you this, but even though Whitney said she could record with you and your sister, I’m going to have to be the bearer of bad news.”
    He had my attention.
    â€œAfter reviewing her contract with Arista, we’ve determined that she cannot participate in the recording at this time. I hope you understand.”
    â€œOf course. I understand.”
    I was disappointed but not at all surprised. That’s the reality of the industry.
    About ten minutes later, Whitney called back, all excited—just checking to make sure that her rep had phoned and that everything was okay. The excitement in her voice tipped me off to the fact that she had no idea the recording was