Entertainment

The Key Players in the Bobbi Kristina Brown Saga

Published

10 years ago

February 13, 2015

In this Feb. 12, 2011, file photo, singer Whitney Houston, left, and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown arrive at an event in Beverly Hills, Calif. Messages of support were being offered Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, as people awaited word on Brown, who authorities say was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub over the weekend in a suburban Atlanta home. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)

JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr., Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late Whitney Houston and the only child between Houston and ex-husband Bobby Brown, has been hospitalized since she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her suburban Atlanta home on Jan. 31.

Some facts about her and others associated with her:

____

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN

She spent her entire life in the spotlight generated by Houston and Bobby Brown. She attended award shows and appeared on red carpets alongside them, and performed “My Love Is Your Love” along with her superstar mother in 2009. Bobbi Kristina wanted to become a singer and actor just like Houston, who died three years ago. But her career never took off. She ended up becoming a social media sensation, sending more than 11,000 tweets and attracting 164,000 followers. She often claimed she was married to her partner, Nick Gordon, the orphaned young man she grew up with after Houston brought him into the family. She is the sole inheritor of Houston’s estate.

____

NICK GORDON

Bobbi Kristina was living with Gordon at the townhome where she was found in a bathtub. Police say Gordon performed CPR on her while a friend called 911. Houston brought Gordon into her household as an orphan at the age of 12, raising him and her daughter after divorcing Bobby Brown in 2007. Gordon wore a large tattoo of Houston’s face on his arm and called the singer “mom,” but she never fully adopted him or included him in the will. After Houston’s death, Gordon and Bobbi Kristina went public with their romance. Bobby Brown says his daughter isn’t and never has been married to Gordon.

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BOBBY BROWN

The father of 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina. The former New Edition member and soul singer tied the knot with Whitney Houston in 1992, but their marriage was a tumultuous one. The two divorced in 2007. The 46-year-old Brown was known for a bad-boy image but also became a huge star, selling platinum records with New Edition and going solo before drugs and legal woes derailed his career.

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PATRICIA HOUSTON

Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law and manager, married to Whitney Houston’s brother Gary. After the late singer’s death in 2012, Patricia was appointed administrator of the trust fund Whitney Houston set up for Bobbi Kristina. Gordon and Bobbi Kristina’s announcement of their marriage on social media troubled Patricia, who always viewed the two as brother and sister. She eventually obtained a restraining order against Gordon, effective through April.

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MAXWELL LOMAS

Lomas, 24, of Duluth, Georgia, was listed in the police report as being at Bobbi Kristina and Nick Gordon’s home when investigators arrived. He claims he was the one that found Bobbi Kristina face-down in the bathtub. Lomas has had a checkered past. Last month, he was arrested and charged with weapons offenses, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a prescription anxiety medication. Lomas pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to his attorney, who said the arrest is unrelated to Brown being found in the bathtub.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

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December 20, 2024

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Promise Marks Performs Songs of Etta James in One-Woman Show, “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley

“The (show) is a fictional story about a character named Etta, aka Lady Peaches,” said Marks. “She falls in love with Johnny Rhythm, leader of the Rhythm Players Band and headliners of Madam G’s Glitta Lounge.” Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy Of Promise Marks.

Special to the Post

It was “A Sunday Kind of Love” at the Black Repertory Group Theater in Berkeley on Saturday night, Dec. 7. The one-woman musical based on the music of Etta James featured the multi-talented singer Promise Marks

Marks, who wrote and directed the musical, also owns PM Productions.

Marks channeled the essence of Etta James, singing favorites such as “Sugar on the Floor” and “At Last.”

In between her soulful songs, Marks narrated impactful moments of the love story and journey of blues and forgiveness.

Marks sultry voice carried the audience back to an era that echoed with the power of Black music and a time of great change.

Marks said James shared love for the Black community by singing at gatherings during the Civil Rights Movement uplifting the people.

“She spoke to the movement, spoke to the people, and let her music speak for itself,” Marks said.

Backing the musical’s monologues, images and videos of Etta James are projected for the audience to view. While the production is fictional, Marks infused script with the unfairness and heartbreak James experienced while performing.

Marks performed gospel artist Donnie McClurkin’s “We Fall Down” as she narrated acts of reconciliation and forgiveness among the characters at Johnny Rhythm’s deathbed.

Marks, who regularly sings for the Miss America Pageant, was asked to perform as Etta James last year. “(At the event) a lady yelled out to me: ‘You’re Etta James!’ And then the audience went crazy. I said to myself, ‘I may have something here,’” she said.

Within 12 months, Marks created the musical production, which featured a dozen songs honoring “the great legacy of Etta James,” she said.

Marks says she was saddened to see how Etta James was often judged by the struggles in her life and wanted to offer attendees a more layered view.

“Etta’s life was so big. I want people to know that she was more than her drug addiction,” said Marks. “We can’t make that her legacy. Her catalog is too amazing. You can’t just be that and have the catalog that she (created). I don’t want the addiction to be the focus: I want her music, her element, her sassiness, and what she brought to be the focus – her woman-ness, that she was strong, and I wanted to honor that.”

Set Designer Nora Burnette says she created the set segments to mirror James’ life story. A set designer for BRG since 2016, she explained that her process of researching the scenario and the character serve as her inspiration for her design.

“I try to design a set as close to real life as possible so that the actress can deliver the performance sincerely,” said Burnette. “By creating the right setting, it helps the actors release the true essence of a character.”

The set brought the story to life and absolutely floored Marks. “Once Promise (Marks) saw the actual set, she understood my vision: ‘Wow, you get me. You get it,'” Marks told the designer.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins, Etta James, began her career in 1954 and gained fame with hits such “At Last” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” She faced a number of personal problems, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album “Seven Year Itch.”

Co-producer and BRG Development Director, Sean Vaughn Scott, works with Overseer Production. According to producer Pamela Spikes, “Marks talent truly does Etta’s life story justice.”

Pam Jacobs of Hercules, a friend of Marks’ mom, Jackie Smith, said, Marks “was fabulous and sang all of those songs flawlessly.”

“I’m so proud of my daughter,” said Smith.

Marks, who has served as an instructor for BRG, will return on Feb. 21- 23 for an encore run of the musical.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the BRG (Black Repertory Group) family and continue our executive director Dr. Mona Vaughn Scott’s vision for the Black Repertory Group theater,” said Marks.

The Black Repertory Group Theatre is located at 3201 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703. For information, visit: BlackRepertoryGroup.com