Listen to a young Whitney Houston’s stunning vocal in unearthed TV 'Steak & Ale' advert

22 October 2021, 15:34 | Updated: 26 October 2021, 10:15

By Hannah Lovejoy

@HanLovejoy

Whitney Houston is one of the greatest musicians of all time but before her rise to fame, she sang the backing track on a television commercial for an American chain restaurant.

Whitney Houston sang a track on a Steak and Ale restaurant advert and it appears to be from 1980. This means that Whitney would’ve been in her late teens and her distinctive and unforgettable vocals were yet to be recognised in the music industry.

The time Whitney Houston effortlessly sang 7 notes in under 1 second

The advert shows different groups of people meeting up to enjoy food at one of the restaurants. Whitney’s stunning vocal compliments the footage well as she sings about how everything is “unmistakably” related to Steak and Ale.

Gospel and soul legend CeCe Winans mentioned that she recalled hearing Whitney’s unique vocal in the advert.

Watch the advert below:

Whitney Houston singing a Steak & Ale Commercial Jingle (1980)

Read more: Whitney Houston biopic: Cast, director, plot, soundtrack and more revealed

Speaking on CeCe Winans Presents, CeCe recalled a conversation that she had with Whitney about the advert and spoke about Whitney’s “unforgettable” gift and voice.

“When I heard her sing, when she became popular and I heard her voice I said ‘wait I’ve heard that voice before’ and there was a restaurant in Michigan called Steak and Ale,” CeCe explained.

“Right, and they had a commercial with someone singing and I remember years ago saying ‘ooh whoever that is, somebody can sing, somebody know what they doing’ right.”

She continued: “So, when I met her [Whitney], I was like ‘I’ve got to ask you this question, did you ever do a commercial for Steak and Ale?’”

CeCe Winans Presents... Generations: A Celebration of Whitney Houston

Read more: 5 artists who were mentored by Clive Davis: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and more

“She said ‘yes’ [and] I said ‘I knew it’.”

CeCe also mentioned that Whitney was surprised she made the connection but knew that her voice was something special.

CeCe said: “Yes she was [shocked] but she knew that she had a gift that was unforgettable. It was a gift from God that you just called her The Voice.”

“I do think there are special gifts that stand out from the rest and she had that. And not only that but she had a heart that stood out from the rest,” CeCe added.

The CeCe Winans Presents episode was dedicated to Whitney and CeCe spoke at length about her life-long friendship with Whitney. CeCe's daughter Ashley Phillips was co-hosting the episode and Whitney's brother Gary Houston and Whitney's sister-in-law turned manager Pat Houston appeared as guests.