By admin NOWARK, NJ – Dionne Warwick, BeBe Winans, Darlene Love and a huge choir helped celebrate the life of gospel icon Cissy Houston during a music-filled memorial event Thursday in Princess Gospel’s hometown of Newark.
The ceremony at New Hope Baptist Church – where Houston was a congregant and choir leader for decades – was decorated with framed photos of Houston, and her casket was placed in front of the pulpit. More than ten years ago, the church also hosted the funeral of Whitney Houston’s daughter.
“She gave so much. She gave me the right to be myself,” said Warwick, 83, niece of 91-year-old Houston. “Cissy, I’m going to miss you.”
Houston, a two-time Grammy Award-winning soul and gospel artist who sang with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, died on October 7. In her honor, her oldest son, Gary, sang “Freedom” and Love sang “It Is Well with My Soul.”
From the speakers emerged a portrait of a woman of great faith and deep love, but also one who did not tolerate fools well. “Nobody else could cut you up in the name of Jesus,” Winans joked as mourners roared. “You didn’t have to say the words. She could cut your eyes.
He also told her story of sympathy: When Whitney Houston died, Winans called Cissy. “I’m just calling to check on you,” she told him. “In that moment, her strength became my strength.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka read a proclamation in her honor, and Gov. Phil Murphy called Houston a “musical legend” who “embodied the soul of New Jersey.”
“Although each of us is born with a voice, only a few of us are gifted with a voice powerful enough to reach the hearts of millions of listeners around the world, a voice powerful enough to soothe the pain of heartbreak or bring the euphoria of falling in love,” he said. governor.
Houston performed in churches and participated in her family’s gospel act from an early age before breaking into popular music in the 1960s as a member of the top backing group The Sweet Inspirations along with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warwick. The group sang backup for various soul singers, including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls and The Drifters. They also sang backup for Dionne Warwick.
Houston’s numerous film credits include Franklin’s “Think” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” The Sweet Inspirations also sang on stage with Presley.
The Sweet Inspirations had their own top 20 single, with the soul-rock “Sweet Inspiration” recorded in a Memphis studio where Franklin and Springfield, among others, recorded hits and released four albums as late as the late 1960s .
Houston became a popular session singer and recorded over 600 songs in a variety of genres over the course of her career. Her vocals can be heard on songs alongside a wide range of artists, including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and Whitney Houston.
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