Grammy Awards and nominations for Whitney Houston

Madonna - "Crazy for You"
Linda Ronstadt - Lush Life (Album)
Whitney Houston - "Saving All My Love for You" ★
Pat Benatar - "We Belong"
Tina Turner - "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"

• Houston won her first Grammy, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, an award handed to her by her delighted cousin, Dionne Warwick, and Julian Lennon.
• Before winning the award, performed "Saving All My Love for You."
• LaLa, the songwriter of "You Give Good Love," was nominated for Best R&B Song but lost to Jeffrey Cohen and Narada Michael Walden for "Freeway of Love."
• The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) disallowed Whitney Houston from competing for Best New Artist in the balloting, because, prior to the release of 1985's Whitney Houston album, she had appeared as a duet guest vocalist on one song on Jermaine Jackson's album, and one on the Teddy Pendergrass' album, both in the preceding year (1984).

Whitney Houston - "Greatest Love of All"
Robert Palmer - "Addicted to Love"
Steve Winwood - "Higher Love" ★
Peter Gabriel - "Sledgehammer"
Dionne Warwick and Friends - "That's What Friends Are For"

• Performed "Greatest Love of All," receiving a standing ovation. Also, joined an ending performance of the show, "Stand by Me," along with Ben E. King, Whitney Houston, Mick Hucknall (the lead singer of Simply Red) and Luther Vandross.

Carly Simon - Coming Around Again (Album)
Belinda Carlisle - "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" ★
Suzanne Vega - "Luka"
Barbra Streisand - One Voice (Album)

• Anita Baker and Robbie Robertson presented to Houston with Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female award, Houston's second Grammy.
• "Didn't We Almost Have It All," written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings and performed by Houston, was nominated for Song of the Year, goes to the songwriter(s), but the award went to "Somewhere Out There," written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
• Houston kicked off the broadcast by performing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" along with her tour band and dancers. During the performance, she changed her clothes backstage while the announcer called the names that made appearance on the ceremony.
• During the finale performance of the ceremony, "Runaround Sue" by Dion, Houston enjoyed his performance on the stage along with other cast of the show.

Michael Jackson - Bad
U2 - The Joshua Tree ★
Prince - Sign ‘O' the Times
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris - Trio
Whitney Houston - Whitney

Aretha Franklin - Aretha (Album) ★
Natalie Cole - Everlasting (Album)
Whitney Houston - "For the Love of You"
Jody Watley - "Looking for a New Love"
Nancy Wilson - "Forbidden Lover"

• The telecast of the ceremony started with Houston's gospel-charged performance of "One Moment in Time," got a standing ovation.
• "One Moment in Time" was nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, presented to the songwriter(s)

• "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" was the second single from Aretha's 1989 studio album Through the Storm.

Lisa Stansfield - "All Around the World"
Bette Midler - "From a Distance"
Whitney Houston - "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
Sinéad O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U"
Mariah Carey - "Vision of Love" ★

• Because the single of "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was released on September 28, 1990 in the United States, it could barely meet the then Grammy eligibility period ended September 30 (now, August 31).

• Houston didn't attend the ceremony. Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr were the presenters for the award.

• It was Houston's third nomination in that category. The award was presented in the pre-telecast ceremony.

• Houston was honored with "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female" award, presented by Dolly Parton and David Foster, who is the "I Will Always Love You" songwriter and the producer, respectively. It was her third won in the category and made her the second most winning artist behind Ella Fitzgerald and Barbra Streisand with 5 wins each.
• Record of the Year, goes to the performing artist and the producer, was presented to Houston and Foster by B.B. King and Steve Winwood. It was her first win in the General Field.
• Houston also earned the Album of the Year award, presented by Bonnie Raitt and Lena Horne, along with the producers of the album: Foster, Narada Michael Walden, L.A. Reid, Babyface, David Cole and Robert Clivilles.
• In addition, "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You," two other songs sung by Houston, were among nominees for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, presented to the songwriter(s).
• Right after winning an award, she admitted to reporters that she had to be persuaded to even record the song "I Will Always Love You" in the first place. "I kept saying, 'But it's a country song.' Then I found myself singing it and loving it," she explained backstage.
• Houston opened the show with a performance of "I Will Always Love You."
• The winner of Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Toni Braxton, told reporters that "I can't believe I beat these singers. I mean, Whitney is my favorite."

• "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," written by Babyface and performed by Houston, got nomination for Song of the Year and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, and was named Best R&B Song.
• Houston was nominated for the first time as a songwriter for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television for "Count on Me."
• A medley performance of the songs from Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack was one of the highlights in that year's ceremony. The medley performance was started by Brandy with "Sittin' Up in My Room" and followed by Mary J. Blige with "Not Gon' Cry." And then Whitney Houston sang "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", and "Count on Me" with CeCe Winans. Later all-stars, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige and Brandy, joined in medley's finale, receiving a standing ovation.

• Houston snubbed the ceremony in that year because The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack was nominated in the R&B category instead of in the gospel category. Houston told Entertainment Tonight that "Basically, it was my gospel album, and it was excluded from the gospel category altogether. I'm not going this year. I'm sick of work being done and people not recognizing it."

• Jamie Foxx, Busta Rhymes and Jane Krakowski handed the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance award to Houston, her sixth career Grammy and her first won in that category, had already been nominated six times.
• "Heartbreak Hotel" and "It's Not Right But It's Okay" were both nominated Best R&B Song, given to the songwriter, but lost to "No Scrubs" performed by TLC. In addition, "When You Believe" was among the nominees for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
• In that year's ceremony, there was bad blood between Houston and Rosie O'Donnell, the host for the show. When Rosie shouted "Aloha" to Houston in her opening monologue that took aim at various stars' run-ins with the law―an obvious reference to Houston's alleged marijuana bust at the Honolulu airport earlier that year―she got a raised hand (little short of one upraised finger) from Houston. In addition, Rosie introduced Houston's performance of "It's Not Right But It's Okay" and "I Learned from the Best," calling Houston 'a huge fan of the Doobies.'

• It was Houston's first Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

• Posthumous nomination.

• "Saving All My Love for You"

• "Greatest Love of All"
• "Stand by Me" (finale, along with Ben E. King, Mick Hucknall and Luther Vandross)

• "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (opening)

• "One Moment in Time" (opening)

• "I Will Always Love You" (opening)

• Houston was not nominated in any category in that year, but attended on the ceremony to perform and present an award in the gospel categories. After she gave a talk on her musical roots, the gospel, introduced CeCe Winans' performance, the first part of a gospel medley, in which herself also took part as a performer. After the performance, drew a standing ovation, Houston presented to Winans with the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album award.
• Gospel medley:
  • "I Surrender All" (performed by CeCe Winans)
  • "Count on Me" (duet with CeCe Winans)
  • "Heaven" (along with Shirley Caesar and CeCe Winans)

• Waiting To Exhale Soundtrack medley:
  • "Sittin' Up in My Room" (performed by Brandy)
  • "Not Gon' Cry" (performed by Mary J. Blige)
  • "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
  • "Count on Me" (duet with CeCe Winans, later joined by Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige and Brandy)

• Houston and Sting were the presenters for the Grammy award for Album of the Year, given to Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

• "It's Not Right But It's Okay" and "I Learned from the Best"

• Houston made a surprise appearance to present Jennifer Hudson with the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.