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
Face to Face (Cissy Houston album) Best Traditional Gospel Album of 1996. Face to Face (Cissy Houston album) Face To Face is the sixth studio album by American gospel/soul singer Cissy Houston, released in 1996 on the "House of Blues Music" distributed by BMG. The album features the spiritual anthems "Amazing Grace" and "Go Where I Send Thee", as well as gospel version of Holland-Dozier's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)". Houston co-arranged and co-produced the album, as well as writing six of the album's tracks. Her son, singer Gary Houston contributed backing vocals on the song "God Don't Ever Change". Houston received