Cissy Houston Biography

Fast Facts

• Came in second place at the World Popular Song Festival in 1979, where she represented the U․S․ with the song "You're the Fire․"
• Is the mother of renowned pop singer Whitney Houston and aunt of Dionne Warwick
• Began singing at church at a young age and formed the group The Drinkard Singers with her brothers and sisters in 1938, releasing a live album called "A Joyful Noise․"
• Formed the backup vocals-singing group the Sweet Inspirations in 1963 with Doris Troy and Dee Dee Warwick, performing with artists like Otis Redding, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, and Elvis Presley
• Quote: "(On why she wrote "Remembering Whitney"): "Everyone was writing crap about Whitney․ I was reading things that weren't true, and that's when I decided that I needed to do something․""
• Quote: "I'm still so angry - at [Whitney], at the world, at myself․ There are days when the questions just consume me․․․Was I a good mother? Was I too hard on her? And the worst one of all - could I have saved her somehow?"
• During her solo career, she sang backup for artists like Bette Midler, Linda Ronstadt, Burt Bacharach, and Barbra Streisand
• Best known as a soul and gospel singer who sang backup for the likes of Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin
• Made her solo debut in 1970 with the album "Presenting Cissy Houston," which included the singles "Be My Baby" and "I'll Be There․"
• Published the book "Remembering Whitney," a memorial to her late daughter, in January 2013