Emily Drinkard Houston

Emily "Cissy" Drinkard was born in Newark, New Jersey, the youngest of eight children. She began singing at age five in family gospel ensemble The Drinkard Singers, performing at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival. In the 1960s, she co-founded the legendary backing vocal group The Sweet Inspirations with Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, and Estelle Brown.

Houston's gospel-honed soprano harmonies propelled hundreds of classic recordings, backing Aretha Franklin on "Ain't No Way," Van Morrison on "Brown Eyed Girl," and Elvis Presley during his historic 1969 Las Vegas residency. As a solo artist, she won two Grammy Awards for Traditional Soul Gospel albums in 1996 and 1998. Mother to pop icon Whitney Houston and aunt to Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, Cissy Houston was a foundational pillar of modern American popular and sacred music for over seventy years.