Cissy Houston obit

Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s Mother and Grammy-winning Singer, Dies at 91

The two-time Grammy winner was in the well-known vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations, with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. 

She was not on the list.

Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, died Monday. She was 91.

Houston died in her Newark, New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston told the Associated Press. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston said in a statement. She said her mother-in-law’s contributions to popular music and culture are “unparalleled.”

“Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”

Houston was in the well-known vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations, with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. The group sang backup for a variety of soul singers including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters and Dionne Warwick.

The Sweet Inspirations appeared on Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” in 1967. In the same year, Houston worked on Franklin’s classic “Ain’t No Way.”

Houston’s last performance with the Sweet Inspirations came after the group hit the stage with Presley in a Las Vegas show in 1969. Her final recording session with the group turned into their biggest R&B hit “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover” a composition by the production team of Gamble & Huff, who appeared on the group’s fifth album, Sweet Sweet Soul.

During that time, the group occasionally performed live concert dates with Franklin. After the group’s success and four albums together, Houston left The Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career where she flourished.

Houston became an in-demand session singer and recorded more than 600 songs in multiple genres throughout her career. Her vocals can heard on tracks alongside a wide range of artists including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter.

In 1971, Houston’s signature vocals were featured on Burt Bacharach’s solo album, which includes “Mexican Divorce,” “All Kinds of People” and “One Less Bell to Answer.” She performed various standards including Barbra Streisand’s hit song, “Evergreen.”

Houston won Grammys for her albums Face to Face in 1997 and He Leadeth Me the following year in the best traditional soul gospel album category.

Houston authored three books: He Leadeth Me, How Sweet the Sound: My Life With God and Gospel and Remembering Whitney: A Mother’s Story of Life, Loss and the Night the Music Stopped.

In 1938, Cissy Houston started her career when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky to form the gospel group, The Drinkard Four, who recorded one album. She attended New Hope Baptist Church, where she later became Minister of Sacred Music.

Houston was the youngest of eight children.

“We are touched by your generous support, and your outpouring of love during our profound time of grief,” Pat Houston said on behalf of the family. “We respectfully request our privacy during this difficult time.”

Actress

God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness (2018)

God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness

4.4

Cissy Houston

2018

 

Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance, and Justin Pierre Edmund in The Preacher's Wife (1996)

The Preacher's Wife

5.7

Mrs. Havergal

1996

 

James Earl Jones in The Vernon Johns Story (1994)

The Vernon Johns Story

7.5

TV Movie

Rose

1994

 

Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I'm Every Woman (1993)

Whitney Houston: I'm Every Woman

7.1

Music Video

Cissy Houston

1993

 

Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: Greatest Love of All (1986)

Whitney Houston: Greatest Love of All

7.2

Music Video

Cissy Houston

1986

 

Taking My Turn

TV Movie

Helen

1985

 

Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Ted Ross, and Nipsey Russell in The Wiz (1978)

The Wiz

5.6

The Wiz Singers Adult Choir (voice, uncredited)

1978

 

Music Department

Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: How Will I Know (1985)

Whitney Houston: How Will I Know

6.7

Music Video

playback singer

1985

 

Vincent Schiavelli, Keith Berger, Drew Abrams, Marquita Callwood, Dan McCarthy, Joan Adelman, Gus Thomas, and David Bryant in Angels (1976)

Angels

3.7

arranger: vocals

performer: vocals

1976

 

Producer

Whitney Houston: This is My Life

8.7

TV Special

producer

1992