Cissy Houston is 88 years old today.
Houston is soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, she embarked on a solo career.
She is the mother of singer, Whitney Houston, grandmother of Whitney's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, aunt of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and a cousin of opera singer, Leontyne Price.
Born Emily Drinkard in Newark to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard, she was the eighth child. The Drinkards had owned a substantial amount of farmland in 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.
After Dinkard’s three oldest siblings were born, the family relocated to New Jersey during the Second Great Migration. Her parents emphasized the children getting educated and being involved in the church, and her father encouraged Houston and her siblings to sing.
In 1938, five-year-old Cissy's mother, Delia, suffered a stroke and died of cerebral hemorrhage three years later. Her father died of stomach cancer in 1951 when Drinkard was 18.
In 1955, Drinkard married Freddie Garland and had a son, Gary Garland, an NBA basketball player and DePaul University Athletic Hall of Famer. They divorced soon after.
In 1963, she married John Russell Houston, Jr., a Newark City administrator and entertainment executive. The couple had a son, Michael Houston, who became a songwriter, and a daughter, Whitney Houston, who became a singer.
In 1963, then about to give birth to daughter, Whitney, Cissy 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 formed 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.” In 1967, The Sweet Inspirations sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the track "Burning of the Midnight Lamp.”
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 and gentleman, The Sweet Inspirations!" Many of these performances can be heard on the All Shook Up and Live In Las Vegas live records.
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.
On September 29, 2014, at 81 years old, Cissy sang backup 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.