<Ul> <Li> Whitney Houston </Li> <Li> Sweet Inspirations </Li> <Li> The Drinkard Singers </Li> <Li> Dionne Warwick </Li> <Li> Elvis Presley </Li> <Li> Herbie Mann </Li> <Li> Luther Vandross </Li> </Ul> <Li> The Drinkard Singers </Li> <P> 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 Whitney's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, aunt of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, and a cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price . </P> <P> Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, New Jersey, to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill), she was the eighth and final child; older siblings were brothers William (1918--2003), Hansom (1924--deceased), Nicky (1929--1992), and Larry (1931--2012); and sisters Lee (1920--2005), mother of Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, Marie (1922--2007), and Anne (1927--2003). Houston's father Nitcholas Drinkard was born to Susan Bell (called Delia) Drinkard (née Fuller), of Dutch and African - American descent . His father John Drinkard, Jr., was of Native American descent . The Drinkards had owned a substantial amount of farmland in Blakely, Georgia, at a time when it was unusual for black people to have large landholdings . The asset was gradually depleted as they sold small portions of land over time, to resolve the continued legal troubles of a close relative . </P>

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