Sweet Inspirations – Cissy Houston

= Cissy Houston Eastman Theater circa 1975 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Inspiration.

Oh what a power

And I’ve got that power

Every hour of the day

                                            Lines of the Song Sweet Inspiration, performed by the Sweet Inspirations

Apples just don’t fall too far from the tree.  This is Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy Houston, who is also the Aunt of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, two of the most brilliant Singers ever and cousin to Leontyne Price of Opera genre.  Great family history in music.  So when Whitney sang, it was a God-given, inherent talent.  She had it.

She first formed her Group the Inspirations comprising of Doris Troy (Just one Look) and Dee Warwick, sister of Dionne and singer of top Hit When Love Slips Away.  I have seen both sisters in person and the late Dee Dee Warwick was awesome.  Even Dionne said “My sister was actually the singer in the family”.  Can one imagine that Dionne with her uniquely beautiful voice could say that?  And I would agree.

Dee Dee Warwick (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cissy was also a very, very accomplished singer, even though her name probably was under the radar because she did a lot of Back-up singing by stars that ranged from Otis Redding to Dusty Springfield, and right on down to her niece, Dionne.  Ms. Houston was very successful.  She was  also a Grammy Award Winner.  Her name probably received a little more recognitiion when she and the Sweet Inspirations began to perform Back Up for the late Elvis Presley in 1969.  They   were called none other than The Sweet Inspirations.

It amazes me that some people can be so versatile  and accomplished that their names don’t pop out because in a way, do they have to?  She made money, had a solid career of success.  Yes, she was more than just the mother of one of the Greatest Singers on the Planet.   She was also a Sweet Inspiration! Peace.

Date that she joined Elvis Presley and Artists collaberation with Otis Redding and Dusty Springfield  obtained from Wikipedia