Cissy Houston: How 4 Missed Opportunities Shaped Her Career—and Paved the Way for Whitney Houston's Stardom
The Twelve Inch 138 : Think It Over (Cissy Houston)
A Hidden Legend: Cissy Houston’s Story in the Shadow of Whitney
October 7th marked the passing of Cissy Houston, known widely as Whitney Houston's mother. But Cissy herself was an extraordinary singer, navigating a career defined by near-breakthroughs and missed chances. Unlike Whitney’s meteoric rise, Cissy’s journey was quieter, marked by moments of almost stardom and a complex relationship with the music industry. Why didn’t she achieve the same success as her daughter? And what role did disco play?
From Church Choirs to the Big Stage: The Early Life of Emily “Cissy” Drinkard
Cissy Houston was born Emily Drinkard in 1933, the youngest in a family of eight children. Like many Black musicians of her generation, she found her voice in church. Music was woven into her life early on as the family sang gospel hymns to comfort her ailing mother.Her mother’s passing, 3 years later, and a natural gravitation toward gospel music led Cissy and her siblings to form the Drinkard Four, later evolving into the renowned Drinkard Singers. This period would engrain religion for the rest of her life.
The Gospel Road to Stardom: Cissy Joins the Sweet Inspirations
The Drinkard Singers were invited to open for Mahalia Jackson in 1951—a career-making moment. When her father died in 1952, Cissy moved to live with her sister, whose daughters Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick she helped to raise and would also rise to fame. So Cissy & Dionne weren’t of the same generation, although the age difference is only 7 years. Dionne told People magazine later : “Because we were so close in age, I always looked at her as an older sister”
Cissy Houston & Dionne Warwick
The Drinkard Singers made history by signing a recording contract with RCA Victor, becoming the first gospel group on a major label. By the early 1960s, Cissy Houston left the Drinkard Singers and joined another family ensemble called the Gospelaires, which included her nieces Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. When Dionne departed to pursue a solo career, Cissy stepped in to fill her role. This eventually led to the formation of the Sweet Inspirations, who provided powerful backing vocals for legends like Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Elvis Presley, becoming key players in the soul music scene. In 1967, Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler offered them a recording contract
the Sweet Inspirations
Fun Fact 1 : The family connections are fascinating. Cissy isn’t just related to Dionne Warwick; she's also cousins with Leontyne Price, the renowned African-American soprano who gained international acclaim and had a long-standing relationship with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Interestingly, there’s no relation to Thelma Houston—like Cissy, Thelma adopted her surname through marriage, and her husband was unrelated to Cissy’s. Adding to the web of musical connections, one of Cissy’s sisters even attended school with jazz legend Sarah Vaughan.
Family and Solo Dreams: Cissy Steps Back from Touring
By the late ’60s, now married (to John Houston Jr.) with three children, Cissy grew weary of life on the road. In an 1998 NPR interview she explained “I really got tired of hearing my children cry : Mommy, why do you have to go? And I had decided I wanted to do something by myself”. She wanted to carve out a solo career but faced hurdles at every turn. In 1972, she recorded the original version of “Leaving On A Midnight Train to Georgia,” but it only achieved modest success. When Gladys Knight & The Pips later released it, the song became a chart-topping hit. For Cissy, it was the first missed opportunity
Disco’s Temptation: The Michael Zager Years and “Think It Over”
In 1977, Cissy Houston signed with Private Stock Records, a New York label known for its roster of one-hit wonders and recent partnership with up-and-coming disco producer Michael Zager. Cissy and Zager were no strangers to each other; she had worked on vocal arrangements for Zager’s band, Ten Wheel Drive. That same year, Zager produced Cissy’s first album with Private Stock. Despite disco’s surging popularity—and Zager’s own success with the smash hit “Let’s All Chant”—the album took a different direction, leaning into a pop-soul sound that struggled to find its footing. This marked missed opportunity number two.
I co-authored a piece on Michael Zager with Brad Kyle. It’s a companion piece to this episode.
In 1978, Zager and Cissy gave it another shot, this time embracing the disco sound more fully. Three tracks from the new album became club favorites: “Somebody Must Have Told Me,” “Warning - Danger,” and the lead single, “Think It Over.” The title track climbed the Billboard Dance charts (n°5) and made waves on the R&B charts, but just as momentum was building, Private Stock Records shut down. Cissy and Michael Zager quickly signed with Columbia Records, which re-released the Think It Over album under the new title Warning - Danger. Unfortunately, with the initial buzz around “Think It Over” now fading, they shifted focus to “Warning - Danger” as the second single, but it failed to capture the same club success. Without the earlier momentum, the single missed its chance to break into the R&B and pop charts—a third missed opportunity.
Missed opportunity n°4
In 1980, Cissy recorded a third album with Michael Zager, Step Aside For a Lady, under Columbia Records. By that time, however, disco’s popularity had sharply declined in the U.S., and the album struggled to capture the momentum of its predecessor. Another challenge was Zager’s production style—he favored a more traditional orchestral approach and was less enthusiastic about the emerging electronic European disco sound that was dominating the late ’70s. As a result, singles like “You’re The Fire” and “It Doesn’t Only Happen At Night” felt slightly dated upon release, marking yet another missed opportunity—number four
Fun Fact 2 : Cissy’s list of backup credits is truly impressive. In addition to those already mentioned, she lent her powerful vocals to hits like Van Morisson’s “Brown Eyes Girl”, Paul Simon's “Mother and Child Reunion,” David Bowie’s “Young Americans,” Kiki Dee’s “I’ve Got the Music in Me,” Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” and, of course, several songs by her daughter, Whitney Houston.
A Misfit in the Disco Era?
In researching this week’s episode, it became clear that Cissy Houston may not have been particularly drawn to disco from the start. This might explain missed opportunity number two, when her 1977 album bypassed disco altogether. Interestingly, her niece Dionne Warwick took a similar approach, and while it didn’t prevent her from having a successful career, the 1970s Warner period was arguably the least successful phase of Warwick’s career. The reason may well be the same: both artists largely avoided the genre that was dominating the music scene at the time.
Perhaps the reason behind their shared choice lay in their roots. Both Cissy and Dionne came from a religious, gospel-centered background, where music was soulful and deeply authentic. Disco’s flashy, glamorous image and hedonistic vibe felt worlds apart from the honesty they cherished. As a musician firmly grounded in gospel and R&B, Cissy found disco’s unrelenting beats and overt commercialism somewhat off-putting. Further evidence of her reluctance can be seen in her live performances—she rarely included her disco songs in her set, even at disco’s peak in the late ’70s. Watching her perform “Think It Over,” it’s clear her heart wasn’t fully in it; that spark of genuine connection simply wasn’t there.
Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and this is “The Twelve Inch”, a newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.
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The Sound of Disco with a Gospel Heart
Though reluctant, Cissy’s work with Michael Zager remains one of the finest examples of orchestral disco. Zager’s rich brass and string sections, layered hooks, and lush orchestrations made songs like “Think It Over” unique. And although Zager’s sound would rooted in the orchestral disco sound of the early seventies, he would continue to enjoy success with other productions like the three albums he did for the Spinners on Atlantic Records. “Working My Way Back To You” was a big worldwide hit.
Michael Zager
The momentum was clearly building, as reflected in the press reactions. In his July 8th review for Billboard, Vince Aletti noted that “Cissy Houston seems to be heading in the right direction again with “Think It Over”, a tight R&B song written by her producer Michael Zager. The song is a welcome relief after years of inappropriate pop material and Zager’s arrangement gives it a nice smooth drive. Excellent vocals, but Zager’s breaks are all teasers. Too short to get off on”. Vince Aletti’s influence carried weight, leading to the creation of a full 8-minute extended disco mix (with longer breaks) from the original (6 minutes) album version!
Michael Zager & Cissy stayed in contact and he held a deep admiration for Cissy Houston: “When she sings... she doesn't do too many takes in the studio. She never sings a song the same way twice, so getting a comp vocal [a full performance 'comped' from two or more vocal takes] can be difficult. [But] it's the way she feels the music. It comes from singing gospel. It's so emotional, and it translates. It's why every singer looks up to Cissy and idolizes her”
A Legacy Passed On: Cissy’s Influence on Whitney
Whitney & Sissy Houston
One thing did lead to another. Cissy’s experiences in the music industry became invaluable as she guided Whitney’s early career. She taught Whitney the art of live performance and protected her from the pressures of the industry, ultimately choosing Arista Records and Clive Davis to launch her career—a decision that catapulted Whitney to global stardom. It’s interesting to consider whether Whitney’s remarkable career would have unfolded the same way without Cissy’s steady influence and insight during those formative years. Dionne Warwick would later tell People magazine : “Cissy had an incredible voice and that transferred to her little baby, Whitney. Watching Whitney was like seeing Cissy grow up again”.
Returning to Gospel: Cissy’s Full-Circle Journey
In the '80s, Cissy returned to her gospel roots, directing the choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and releasing gospel albums in the ’90s. Her duet with Whitney on “I Know Him So Well” in 1987 was a testament to her enduring faith and love for music. Her 1998 autobiography, How Sweet The Sound: My Life With God and Gospel, offers an intimate view of her journey through music, family, and faith.
Call to Action
Did you know “Think It Over”? Or any of the other Cissy Houston songs of the era ? Or did you only first heard of her as mother of Whitney ? I would love to hear from you. Join the conversation
Further reading (or should I say watching)
There are a number of interesting video’s/links :
Not sure how to dance to this week’s twelve inch ? No worries, we’ve got you covered. (The dance moves of the gentleman in white are a surefire recipe for success! 😁)
So You Wanna Hear More ?
I thought you would !
It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.
Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.
So what’s in this week’s mix ?
Kick off this week’s Mix with three stellar examples of Michael Zager’s production magic. First up is Cissy Houston’s “Think It Over” in the Extended Disco Mix, a twelve-inch release likely inspired by Vince Aletti’s feedback on the original six-minute version found on the album. Follow that with Zager’s iconic dancefloor anthem “Let’s All Chant,” and the unforgettable Spinners hit “Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl.”
The playlist heats up from there with some of disco’s biggest names: Frantique, Gene Chandler, Gary’s Gang, Diana Ross, and ABBA. Plus, we’ve got some hidden gems like Taka Boom’s explosive “Red Hot”—she packs even more vocal firepower as her sister, Chaka Khan! Add in Bob McGilpin’s electrifying “Superstar” and Celi Bee & the Buzzy Bunch’s “Superman” (though not the superhero from the big screen ), and you’ve got a mix that’s destined to keep you moving.
Enjoy !
Next week, I'll be heading back to Europe—to Switzerland, to be exact—to spotlight one of the country’s standout musical exports!
That resistance to disco, in particular to the synthesised European sound, is a reminder of the astonishing transformation between the orchestation of the 1970s and the electronic sounds of the early 1980s. I remember what a disorienting experience it was listening for the first time to the Donna Summer album Once Upon A Time as it shifted between more established disco arrangements and electronic compositions like When I Need You and Working The Midnight Shift. Whilst the skill levels involved in the production of orchestral disco seemed intimidating, the electronics paradoxically sounded more distant but at the same time more accessible to us mere mortals interested in music creation of our own.
So much talent in that extended family!