A video that surfaced last year shows a 14-year-old girl recalling the glory days of the late Whitney Houston by singing her classic song, “I Will Always Love You.”
While videos of teenagers singing songs on sites like You Tube have become commonplace in the past few years, this particular video stands out because the teenager, known only as Rachel, was unaware the camera was on her as she sang.
In addition, her version sounds remarkably like Houston’s, an effort that won the singer who died in February 2011 two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance.
The video appears to be from a music voice class and lasts for less than three minutes. However, the impact the video has made has gone much farther than the small classroom from where it was captured.
Singer Alicia Keys has said about her effort, “This girl’s on fire.” Her vocal trainer, Oscar Williams, Jr. has experience in the music field, having released albums and traveled on tour.
The song was written by Dolly Parton in 1973, and became a hit on the country charts. However, that success paled in comparison to the success of Houston’s version, which was used in the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard,” which co-starred Houston with actor Kevin Costner.