Cissy Houston Dead At 91

Written By Mike Greenblatt
Presenting Cissy Houston

Two-time Grammy-winning gospel artist Cissy Houston has died at the age of 91. Mother of Whitney Houston, aunt of Dionne Warwick, and cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price, Houston was born Emily Drinkard in Newark on September 30, 1933. She was one of the original Sweet Inspirations who backed up Elvis Presley, had hits on their own, and toured with Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. That’s her on Paul Simon’s 1972 “Mother And Child Reunion,” Bette Midler’s 1973 The Divine Miss M debut, and Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 Heart Like A Wheel. Houston also served as choirmaster at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church for many years. Her vocals have graced recordings by Wilson Pickett, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Roberta Flack, John Prine, David Bowie, Carly Simon, Otis Redding, Gregg Allman, Wishbone Ash, The J. Geils Band, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross and Beyonce. She suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, and was in hospice care at the time of her demise. In 2020, she was inducted into The New Jersey Hall of Fame.

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Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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