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) (the second U.S. release) became the international lead single. Houston performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show on September 15, 2009 and live on the 2009 American Music Awards broadcast. Due to the popularity of the song a remix-EP was released alongside remixes for the two official singles on November 6, 2009. 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