Whitney’s mother, a gospel singer, was 91

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Cissy Houston, herself an acclaimed singer and mother of Whitney Houston, has died. She was 91 years old. Cissy died Oct. 7 at home in New Jersey, where she was receiving hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston said Associated Press. “Our hearts are full of pain and sadness,” Pat said, calling Cissy’s cultural impact “unprecedented.” Born Emily Drinkard, Cissy began singing professionally at the age of five when her father, Nitcholas Drinkard, formed a gospel group with his children in 1938. The Drinkard Singers eventually performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957, which led to them releasing one of the first major label gospel albums, A joyful noiseon RCA in 1958.

In 1963, Cissy joined another family group, the Sweet Inspirations – replacing her aspiring niece Dionne Warwick. With a rotating lineup that also included her niece Dee Dee Warwick, the Sweet Inspirations sang some of the most enduring recordings of the 1960s: Aretha Franklin hits like “Natural Woman” and “Chain of Fools” as well as Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” . “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” by Jimi Hendrix Experience and “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield. Cissy particularly stood out for her operatic background vocals on Franklin’s song “Ain’t No Way.” The Sweet Inspirations began supporting Elvis Presley in 1969 and appeared on his live album Elvis in person at the International Hotel.

Cissy left the Sweet Inspirations later in 1969 to pursue a solo career and released her debut album Introducing Cissy Houston in 1970. She also continued to support others and sang on Linda Ronstadt’s album Heart like a wheel and Chaka Khan’s song “I’m Every Woman”, which was later covered by her daughter. Whitney soon began attending sessions with Cissy, and the pair sang as backing vocalists on Khan’s 1980 album Cheeky when Whitney was just 16 years old. When her daughter became a successful solo artist, Cissy duetted with her on a recording of “I Know Him So Well” in 1987.

During her career, Cissy also served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. A return to recording gospel music in the 1990s brought her late career success, as she received two Grammys for Best Traditional Soul-Gospel Album. After Whitney’s death in 2012, Cissy honored her daughter with a tribute to “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”