Cissy Houston Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston (née Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, Houston embarked on a solo career, winning two Grammy Awards for her work. Houston is the mother of singer Whitney Houston, grandmother of Bobbi Kristina Brown, aunt of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, and a cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price. Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, New Jersey, to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill), she was the eighth and final child; older
I Didn't Know My Own Strength (Whitney Houston song) I Didn't Know My Own Strength (Whitney Houston song) "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is a song performed by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston, taken from her seventh studio album "I Look to You" (2009). The song was written by Houston, award-winning writer, Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, both of whom have written and produced for Houston before. The song was originally supposed to precede the album's UK release on August 31, 2009 and U.S. release on September 1, 2009 but was cancelled in favor of "I Look to You" and "Million Dollar Bill". However, the song