Cissy Houston life and biography

Emily "Cissy" Drinkard Houston is a Grammy Award winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a very successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist. She is the mother of singer and actress Whitney Houston and aunt of Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick.

A soul singer who is known primarily as Whitney Houston's mother rather than for her own considerable talents, Cissy Houston was born Emily Drinkard and began her career as a member of her family's gospel group, the Drinkards. In the early '60s, she joined forces with a floating group of singers known simply as the Group (including at various points Doris Troy and Dee Dee Warwick) to provide backup vocals on numerous soul, pop, and rock sessions. They contributed to many Atlantic sessions in particular, and Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler signed the act to the label in 1967. Named the Sweet Inspirations, they recorded some excellent gospel-flavored soul in the late '60s, managing a few hits (as well as continuing to back up other artists, most notably Aretha Franklin) before Houston left to go solo at the end of 1969. She recorded an impressive album for Commonwealth United in 1970, Presenting Cissy Houston, which yielded a couple of small R&B/pop hits: "I'll Be There" and "Be My Baby." Much in the manner of the Sweet Inspirations, although the material consisted of fairly well-worn soul, rock, and pop tunes, the state-of-the-art arrangements and gospel-ish vocals made them sound fresh. Her contract was sold to Janus Records later in the year, and while she issued a few singles there until the middle of the '70s, she never received the support and promotion she deserved. A case in point was her little-known original version of "Midnight Train to Georgia," taken to the top of the charts about a year later by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Houston recorded several albums for Private Stock beginning in the late '70s, as well as continuing her regular work on sessions and commercial jingles. She recorded a duet with daughter Whitney ("I Know Him So Well") in 1987, and cut a duet album with veteran soul singer Chuck Jackson in 1992.

Discography

* "Think It Over (1978)
* "Face to Face" (1996)
* "He Leadeth Me" (1998)

Soundtracks

* "A Time to Kill" (1996) ("Take My Hand Precious Lord")
* The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album (1996) (performer: "The Lord Is My Shepherd")
* "Late Show with David Letterman"
o Episode dated 23 December 1998 (1998) TV episode (performer: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)")
* Daddy's Little Girls (Original Movie Soundtrack) (2007) (performer: "Family First")
o aka Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (USA: complete title)

Musical Works

* "Angels" (1976) (arranger: vocals) (performer: vocals)
* "Dangerously in Love" (2003) (background vocals for Beyoncé)

Filmography

* The Wiz (1978) (voice) (uncredited) .... The Wiz Singers Adult Choir
* Taking My Turn (1984) (TV)
* The Vernon Johns Story (1994) (TV) .... Rose
o aka Freedom Road: The Vernon Johns Story (UK)
o aka The Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story (USA: alternative title)
* The Preacher's Wife (1996) .... Mrs. Havergal

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