Clive Davis and Maureen Crowe Talk About Making Whitney Houston's 'Bodyguard' Soundtrack, Recreated in 'I Wanna Dance' Biopic

Singer-actress Whitney Houston's life came to a tragic end in 2012, but her voice resonates as strong as it has at any time in the years since, with the long-awaited release this weekend of the biopic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" joining the 30th anniversary reissue of the RCA labels and Legacy from the "Bodyguard" soundtrack.

"I feel as good about the new movie as I always felt about his music," says Clive Davis, the legendary label executive who founded Arista Records in 1974 and signed Whitney Houston in 1983, eventually becoming a confidant and father figure.

Davis' latest role is as co-producer of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", a job he savors while recognizing its actors with pride. "Stanley (Tucci) does a wonderful job playing me. And although the voices are all by Whitney, the actress, Naomi Ackie, does an outstanding performance and really captures Whitney. I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it ."

The reasons for making this new Whitney Houston biopic go far beyond selling records and of repairing his image due to substance abuse issues. In Davis's mind, nothing that has been done on film to document Whitney's life, to date, has captured her. "Not at all," Davis replies.

“Our job was not to flee or run to. Our goal was to capture Whitney, the person, the singer. Make an honest film that deals with all the subjects. An honest and accurate picture of who she was. And certainly, to capture the incredible music that compelled her to be the greatest of contemporary stars in her lifetime. As for all time, Whitney is up there at the top with Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand.”

'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' is a love letter to Whitney from Clive and family , a way for them to set the record straight and celebrate the music of Houston - the driving force of its life," says Maureen Crowe, original music supervisor of The Bodyguard.

Crowe and Davis both shared their memories of creating the soundtrack for "The Bodyguard" driven by Houston – certified 18 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and best known for Houston's rousing rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," now reconfigured for a 30th anniversary reissue, Beyond of that, as the albums come out, RCA has the soundtrack to the new movie, subtitled "The Movie: Whitney New, Classic and Reimagined." And in February, Legacy will reissue Houston's first two studio albums on vinyl as part of a fresh look at the singer's storied catalog.

Focusing on the origin story of the "Bodyguard" soundtrack, Crowe speaks with love of the divine partnership between Houston and Davis, and how the film's producer and male actor, Kevin Costner, had the singing star in his sights for a long time.

"Kevin, at that time, was a multiple Oscar winner and an outstanding filmmaker," Crowe notes , pointing out that his "Dances with Wolves" cleaned up at the 63rd Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for its star. Crowe ended up working for Costner and "The Bodyguard" after serving as music supervisor for the series version of "Fame" ("all 71 episodes, one show, then, for having so much original and existing music").

"Whitney really trusted Kevin to make her first big movie experience great, to rely on him to make 'The Bodyguard' a success and make the story work," Crowe says. "Whitney was smart to have great people around her, people as ambitious as her. She had Clive on the music side and Kevin on the film side. She was well covered.”

Crowe recalls that when recording sessions for "The Bodyguard" began in 1991, producer-writer David Foster's swelling ballad "I Have Nothing" was among his first tracks, a song that showcased the Houston power.

"Clive thought it was crucial for her to have songs like 'I Ha...