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
Midnight Train to Georgia (Cissy Houston album) her version of "Midnight Train to Georgia", which was later covered by Gladys Knight & The Pips. The album's liner notes includes special messages from her daughter pop/R&B singer Whitney Houston and R&B singer Luther Vandross. Midnight Train to Georgia (Cissy Houston album) Midnight Train to Georgia is a compilation album by American soul singer Cissy Houston, released in 1995 on Ichiban Records. The album consist of songs recorded when she was on the Janus Records label, which released her debut album, "Presenting Cissy Houston", as well as bonus tracks. The songs were produced by Donald Rubin, Charles Koppelman, Bob