Cissy Houston

Emily "Cissy" Houston (née Drinkard; born September 30, 1933)[1] is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singingBACKUP for such artists as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin she embarked on a solo career, winning two Grammy Awards for her work. She is the mother of Whitney Houston, grandmother of Whitney's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, aunt of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, and a cousin ofOPERA singer Leontyne Price.
==Family and childhood==
===Early life===
Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, New Jersey,[1] to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill), she was the eighth child; older siblings were brothers William, Hansom, Nicky, and Larry, and sisters Lee, Marie, and Anne.[2] Houston's father Nitcholas Drinkard was born to Susan Bell (called Delia) Drinkard (née Fuller), ofDutch and African-American descent.[3] His father John Drinkard, Jr., was of Native American descent.[3] The Drinkards had owned a substantial amount of farmlandin Blakely, Georgia, during a time when it was unusual for blacks to own large portions of land. The asset was gradually depleted as they sold small portions of the land over time, to resolve the continued legal troubles of a close relative.[3]
After Houston's three oldest siblings were born, the family relocated to New Jersey during the Second Great Migration.[3] Her parents emphasized the children getting educated and being involved in the church, and her father encouraged Houston and her siblings to sing.[3] In 1938, five-year-old Cissy's mother Delia suffered a stroke and died of cerebral hemorrhage three years later.[4]
Her father died of stomach cancer in 1951 when Houston was 18.[3][5] Cissy went to live with her older sister Lee and her husband Mancel Warrick.[6] The Warricks had three children: a son, Mancel,Jr. and two daughters Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick.[7] Renowned soprano Leontyne Price is a Drinkard cousin.[8][9]
===Marriage and children===
In 1955, Houston married Freddie Garland and had a son, Gary Garland, an NBA basketball player and DePaul University Athletic Hall of Famer.[10][11][12] The Garlands divorced soon after.
In 1959, she married John Russell Houston, Jr., a Newark City administrator and entertainment executive.[11][13]The couple had a son Michael Houston, who became a songwriter, and a daughter, Whitney Houston, who became an R&B/pop singer .[14][15][16] Aretha Franklin was an honorary aunt of Houston's daughter.[17]
In the 1990s, Houston's daughter Whitney began to struggle with drug addiction. Houston staged several interventions to get her daughter into rehabilitation andRECOVERY programs. On one occasion she obtained a court order and the assistance of two sheriffs to intervene, persuading her daughter to undertake treatment at Hope For Women Residential & Therapeutic Services in Atlanta, Georgia.[18] Her daughter cycled throughRECOVERY, relapse and rehabilitation programs.[19] On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.[20] After her daughter's death, in an interview with the New Jersey TV station WWOR, Houston expressed her distaste of the media's coverage of related events: "The media are awful. People have come from here and there, [and they] don't know what they're talking about," she said. "People I haven't seen in 20 years … Here they come, [they] think they know everything, but that's not true. But God has his way of taking care of all of it, and I'm glad I know that. They really chopped on her, chopped on her … kept, kept, kept." [21] Houston has six grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren,[11] which included granddaughter Bobbi Kristina Brown (d. July 26, 2015), daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston.
==Career==
===The Drinkard Singers===
Houston's singing career began in 1938 when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky in the gospel singing group the Drinkard Four. Lee (who would later become the mother of singers Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick), later joined the group along with Ann Moss and Marie Epps, and the group was renamed The Drinkard Singers. Houston and the Drinkard Singers regularly performed at New Hope Baptist Church and later recorded a live album forRCA called A Joyful Noise.[22]
===Sweet Inspirations===
In 1963, then about to give birth to daughter Whitney Houston, she formed the Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and niece Dee Dee Warwick. Later, under contract to Atlantic Records, Sylvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown and Myrna Smith form the line-up.
During the mid-1960s, the Sweet Inspirations provided backup vocals for a variety of artists, including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Lou Rawls, The Drifters,Dusty Springfield and Houston's niece Dionne Warwick. They appeared on Van Morrison's single Brown Eyed Girl. Houston performed the operatic soprano melody on the Aretha Franklin hit, Ain't No Way.[23]
In 1967, The Sweet Inspirations sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the track "Burning of the Midnight Lamp".[24]
In 1969, they were hired to sing backing vocals for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas on his return to live performances during July and August 1969. Presley often introduced them at shows by saying, "They really live up to their name ladies & gentleman, The Sweet Inspirations!" [25] Many of these performances can be heard on the All Shook Up and Live In Las Vegas live records.[25]
Performing with Elvis Presley was Houston's final gig with The Sweet Inspirations. As her children were growing bigger, she decided to stop touring and focus on her career as a recording artist.[25]
===Solo career===
In 1969, Houston signed a recording contract with Commonwealth United Records and recorded her solo debut Presenting Cissy Houston which was released in 1970.[25] It contained several well received singles, including covers of "I'll Be There" and "Be My Baby", both of which made the R&B charts.[26]
Following the release of her debut album, Houston's contract was sold to Janus Records in 1970.[26] She recorded another album and several more singles in the early 1970s, which included the original recording of Jim Weatherly's "Midnight Train to Georgia" in 1972, later a number one hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips.[26][27] She continued to record with Janus Records until 1975.[28]
In 1977, Houston was signed by Private Stock Records, working with arranger/producer Michael Zager on three albums. The second included her big discohit "Think It Over", which climbed to #32 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1979. She represented USA at the World Popular Song Festival in 1979 with a track called "You're the Fire", landing second place and winning the "Most Outstanding Performance Award". This also appeared on her 1980 disco-flavored album,Step Aside for a Lady, again produced by Zager, but released on Columbia Records (on EMI in the United Kingdom).
===Session musician===
Houston's cross-genre singing style has kept her highly in demand as a session musician with some of the world's most successful recording artists.
Houston, along with Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, sang the background vocals on the original recording of Time Is On My Side by Kai Winding, released by Verve Records in October 1963.
She sang back-up on Bette Midler's 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M. In 1974, Houston sang back-up on Linda Ronstadt's multi-Platinum Heart Like A Wheel, a seminal album that topped Billboard′s Pop and Country Album Charts in early 1975.
In 1971, Houston was featured on three tracks of Burt Bacharach's self-titled solo album: "Mexican Divorce", "All Kinds of People" and "One Less Bell to Answer".
During 1975 and 1976, she worked with jazz flautist Herbie Mann on three Atlantic albums, Discothèque, Waterbed and Surprises, featuring on three tracks, "Violet Don't Be Blue", JJ Cale's "Cajun Moon" and "Easter Rising".
In addition to her work as choirmaster at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ, Cissy performed frequently at clubs in NYC including Mikell's, Sweetwaters, Seventh Avenue South, and Fat Tuesday from the late 1970s through the 1980s.
Whitney Houston, her daughter and backup singer, increasingly sang solos with Cissy's band, including the Barbra Streisand hit "Evergreen". They would collaborate on Ain't No Way (originally a Cissy Houston and Aretha Franklin vehicle), on which Cissy sang "Cissy" and Whitney "Aretha".
Whitney's "coming-out" performance took place at Sweetwaters,[29] whereupon she was signed by Clive Davis for Arista Records.
In 1985, the small UK independent label Glitter released a single, "With You I Could Have It All" and "Whatcha Gonna Do About Our Love". The 12-inch single featured both a ballad and a dance version of the song.
===Gospel soloist and duets===
In 1996, Houston received the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for Face to Face, an album that contained a Gospel version of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)".
The same year she contributed one song to the gospel soundtrack album for the film The Preacher's Wife, which starred her daughter Whitney Houston.
In 1998, she won her second Grammy for her album He Leadeth Me.
She has also continued to record infrequent secular material and in 1987, Houston and her daughter Whitney recorded a duet titled "I Know Him So Well", a cover of the original by Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige from the Broadway show, Chess. This song also became a single in early 1989 as the 6th and last single release (in selected European countries) from Whitney's album Whitney. In 1992 she teamed up with Chuck Jackson for an album of solo and duet recordings entitled I'll Take Care of You.
In 2006, she recorded the song "Family First" with niece Dionne Warwick and daughter Whitney Houston for the soundtrack to the movie Daddy's Little Girls.
In 2010, Cissy attended the third annualBET Honors with her daughter Whitney, who received the entertainment award.
In 2012, Cissy performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at the tribute for her daughter at the BET Music Awards.
On September 29, 2014, at 81 years old, Cissy sangBACKUP to a standing-ovation performance with Aretha Franklin of Adele's - "Rolling in the Deep' and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on the Late Show with David Letterman.[30]
===New Hope Baptist Church Youth Inspirational Choir===
For more than fifty years, Houston has led the 200-member Youth Inspirational Choir at the New Hope Baptist Church.[11] She is driving force behind and performs annually at the McDonald's Gospelfest.
==Discography==
===With the Drinkard Singers===
Year	Album 	Record label
1958	A Joyful Noise	RCA Records/Victor
===With the Sweet Inspirations===
:See Sweet Inspirations Discography
===Solo===
Year	Album 	Record label
1970	Presenting Cissy Houston	Major Minor Records
1977	Cissy Houston 	Private Stock Records
1978	Think It Over 	PrivateSTOCK Records
1979	Warning-Danger 	Columbia Records
1980	Step Aside For A Lady 	Columbia Records
1992	I'll Take Care of You 	Shanachie Records
1996	Face To Face 	House of Blues
1997	He Leadeth Me 	A&M Records
2001	Love Is Holding You 	Neon
2012	Walk on By Faith 	Harlem Records
===Compilations===
Year	Album 	Record label
1995	Midnight Train to Georgia: Janus Years	Ichiban Records
1999	Cissy Houston & Whitney Houston 	Delta Music
2000	The Definitive Collection 	Connoisseur Records
2005	Cissy Houston Collection 	Intersound
===Collaborations===
Year	Title 	Artist
1975	Discothèque 	Herbie Mann
1975	Waterbed 	Herbie Mann
1976	Surprises 	Herbie Mann, featuring Cissy Houston
1992	I'll Take Care of You	Chuck Jackson & Cissy Houston
===Soundtracks===
Year	Film/Show 	Song
1996	A Time to Kill 	"Take My Hand, Precious Lord"
1996	The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album 	"The Lord Is My Shepherd"
1998	Late Show with David Letterman, December 23 episode	"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
2007	Daddy's Little Girls Original Movie Soundtrack 	"Family First"
===Backing vocals===
Year	Album 	Artist 	Track (only)
1965	The Exciting Wilson Pickett 	Wilson Pickett 	"In the Midnight Hour"
1967	Electric Ladyland 	The Jimi Hendrix Experience 	"Burning of the Midnight Lamp"
1968	Lady Soul 	Aretha Franklin 	"Ain't No Way", "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"
1970	The Source 	Jimmy Scott 	
1970	Brook Benton Today 	Brook Benton 	
1970	Doin' What We Wanna 	Clarence Wheeler 	
1970	Moondance 	Van Morrison 	
1970	Taking Care of Business 	James Cotton 	
1970	Right On 	Wilson Pickett 	
1971	Blacknuss 	Rahsaan Roland Kirk 	
1971	Donny Hathaway 	Donnie Hathaway 	
1971	Burt Bacharach 	Burt Bacharach 	
1971	Homeless Brother 	Don McLean 	
1971	Paul Simon 	Paul Simon 	"Mother and Child Reunion"
1971	Quiet Fire 	Roberta Flack 	
1971	Second Movement 	Eddie Harris and Les McCann 	
1971	Movin' On 	Oscar Brown, Jr. 	
1971	Story Teller 	Brook Benton 	
1972	Salome Bey Sings Songs From Dude 	Galt MacDermot and Gerome Ragni and Salome Bey	
1972	The Divine Miss M 	Bette Midler 	"Do You Wanna Dance?"
1972	Jackie 	Jackie DeShannon 	
1972	Zulema 	Zulema 	
1972	Sweet Revenge 	John Prine 	"Sweet Revenge", "Mexican Home"
1973	Laid Back 	Gregg Allman 	
1974	Heart Like a Wheel 	Linda Ronstadt 	
1974	I've Got the Music in Me 	Kiki Dee 	"I've Got Music in Me"
1974	The Doctor Is In... and Out 	Yusuf Lateef 	"Technological Homosapien"[31]
1974	Young Americans 	David Bowie 	"Young Americans"
1976	Boys in the Trees 	Carly Simon 	
1976	Locked In 	Wishbone Ash 	
1976	We're Children of Coincidence and Harpo Marx	Dory Previn 	
1977	Garden of Love Light 	Narada Michael Walden 	
1977	Monkey Island 	The J. Geils Band 	
1978	Chaka 	Chaka Khan 	"I'm Every Woman"
1979	Movin' On 	Vicki Sue Robinson 	
1979	Take All Of Me 	Barbara Law 	
1980	Aretha 	Aretha Franklin 	
1980	Naughty 	Chaka Khan
[32] 	CLOUDS"
1980	Naughty 	Chaka Khan[33] 	"Papillion (Hot Butterfly)"
1981	Freeze Frame 	The J. Geils Band 	"Angel in Blue"
1982	Forever, for Always, for Love 	Luther Vandross 	
1982	Silk Electric 	Diana Ross 	
1985	The Night I Fell in Love 	Luther Vandross 	
1985	Whitney Houston 	Whitney Houston 	
1987	Whitney 	Whitney Houston 	
1990	Some People's Lives 	Bette Midler 	"From a Distance"
1991	Power of Love 	Luther Vandross 	
1995	This Is Christmas 	Luther Vandross 	"This is Christmas"
2003	Dangerously In Love 	Beyoncé 	"Dangerously In Love 2"
===Musical arrangements===
Year	Track 	Album
1976	"Angels" 	Cissy Houston
1996	"The Lord Is My Shepherd"	The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
===Musical compositions===
Year	Title 	Collaborator
1997	"Count Your Blessings" 	
1996	"Deep River/Campground"	Donny Harper
1976	"Endless Waters" 	David Forman
==Filmography==
===Film===
*1978: The Wiz (uncredited voice) – The Wiz Singers Adult Choir
*1984: Taking My Turn (TV)
*1994: TheVERNON Johns Story (TV) as Rose
**aka Freedom Road: TheVERNON Johns Story (UK)
**aka The Road to Freedom: TheVERNON Johns Story (USA: alternative title)
*1996: The Preacher's Wife as Mrs. Havergal
===Television===
*1970: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (3 episodes)
*1979: Gangsters (herself)
**aka Hoodlums (USA: video title)
*1985: Late Night with David Letterman; August 28 episode
*1986: Ebony/Jet Showcase; October 10 episode
*1987: The 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards
*1988: The 15th Annual American Music Awards
*1998: Late Show with David Letterman December 23 episode
*2004: Intimate Portrait Dionne Warwick episode
*2008: This Time (herself)
Category:1933 births