Which one from the Sweet Inspirations was related to Whitney Houston?

[Albert]

I only know The Sweet Inspirations from TTWII and Elvis On Tour. I always found one member looking a whole lot like Whitney. So I assumed that this was the mother or aunt of Whitney. But lately I read that Cissy Houston (?) left The Sweet Inspirations in 1969 already.

Can someone please post a picture from the Sweet Inspirations that we know from TTWII with a who-is-who? And then a current one also with names?

[Raised on Rock]

Cissy Houston; she was only during the '69 Vegas season, then she left the group. The Sweets became a trio from then on and thats what we saw in TTWII, ON Tour, Aloha...

http://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/articles/cissy_houston.html


http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/video_cissy_houston_remembers_elvis_presley.shtml

[Albert]

thanks, but does anyone have pictures showing who is who?

[Sonny]

Cissy Houston, the founder of The Sweet Inspirations was Whitney Houstons mother.

The link below will show several pictures, some with a description of who is who, or with signatures of The Sweet Inspirations, also indicating who is who.

http://www.colinpaulandthepersuaders.co.uk/id26.html

[Jungleroom76]

Cissy Houston, the founder of The Sweet Inspirations was Whitney Houstons mother.

The link below will show several pictures, some with a description of who is who, or with signatures of The Sweet Inspirations, also indicating who is who.

http://www.colinpaulandthepersuaders.co.uk/id26.html

I didn't realize Cissy was the founder of the Sweet Inspirations!! :hmm:

Does anyone know why she left the group so soon after they joined Elvis??

TCB!
Mike

[Jungleroom76]

I didn't realize Cissy was the founder of the Sweet Inspirations!! :hmm:

Does anyone know why she left the group so soon after they joined Elvis??

TCB!
Mike

Never mind...didn't read the whole story in the link that Sonny posted before asking my question... :blush: :doh:

TCB!
Mike

[cibetty]

A picture about Cissy (Whitney's mum) and Elvis. And I hope the "wikipedia" link will help Albert.

53990

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Inspirations

[cibetty]

I found another site where I read Cissy left to go solo after 1969, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown and Sylvia Shemwell stayed beside Elvis untill 1977.

http://www.elvisrockson.net/thesweetinspirations.html

[cibetty]

Here is a photo Albert. I think they were wrong, cause they wrote Myrna's name twice. So the correct names Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell and Estelle Brown from left to right. It was made around 1971. But these girls looked so similar as they were all black. LOL... And they always changed their hairstyles. :) :)

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width_scaled/hash/71/fd/sweet%20inspirations%20ii.jpeg



http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-national/myrna-smith-and-the-sweet-inspirations-picture?slide=28943401

[KPM]

Cissy was actually the lead singer in the Sweet Inspirations when she founded them-she left mainly to try and establish a solo career.
Whitney did meet Elvis as a little girl.

[Raised on Rock]

thanks, but does anyone have pictures showing who is who?

Take another look at the first link I gave you; theres is a picture there, below it reads:

Clockwise from top. Sylvia Shemwell, Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith and Estelle Brown.

Again, Cisssy Houston only shared the stage with Elvis during the '69 season, then she left the group, and only Sylvia, Myrna and Estelle remained with Elvis unitl '77. You don't see Cissy Houston in any Elvis concert movie.

There is a picture of Elvis and Cissy Houston during the '69 vegas season, Cibetty kindly shared it.

[vivaelvis]

I have heard that Myrna Smith was a distant cousin to Whitney and is a cousin to Whitney's first cousin Dion Warwick. And in the interview where Whitney talked about meeting Elvis she said that "her family was always working with him throughout the 70's on tour". Myrna was also the one who resembled a younger Whitney during the On Tour movie.

Lisa Marie and Linda Thompson both were close to Whitney. Linda wrote I Have Nothing which was one of Whitney's biggest hits. Whitney once called Lisa "blood" as in family when they both performed at the Divas Las Vegas show for Women Who Rock.

Here's a rare pic of The Sweet Inspirations. Myrna is on the bottom left.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width_scaled/hash/35/cc/why%20am%20i%20treated.jpg

[Albert]

I've found a site with more info. This image is from 1968 and feature from left to right: Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith in pigtails!, Sylvia Shemwell, and Estelle Brown

More info and pics: examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-national/myrna-smith-and-the-sweet-inspirations-picture)

[Jungleroom76]

I've found a site with more info. This image is from 1968 and feature from left to right: Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith in pigtails!, Sylvia Shemwell, and Estelle Brown

More info and pics: examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-national/myrna-smith-and-the-sweet-inspirations-picture)

That's a GREAT shot Albert!! (y)

You can definitely see the resemblance between Cissy and Whitney, that's for sure! :hmm:

TCB!
Mike

[Nicole Presley]

If Cissy Houston already left in 1969, who was the 4th person in "That´s the way it is"? I´m sure there where four. Did someone replace Cissy Houston, or did she stay until 1970?

[Raised on Rock]

If Cissy Houston already left in 1969, who was the 4th person in "That´s the way it is"? I´m sure there where four. Did someone replace Cissy Houston, or did she stay until 1970?

Hello Nicole. Cissy Houston did only sang with The Sweets and Elvis during the '69 Vegas season, after that The Sweet Inspirations became a trio.

The four person you see during TTWII was Millie Kirkham. Then in '72 she was replaced with Kathy Westmoreland. None of them became really a member of The Sweets, they remained a trio, but filled the spot Cissy left during Elvis Tours and Vegas Seasons.

[vivaelvis]

Hello Nicole. Cissy Houston did only sang with The Sweets and Elvis during the '69 Vegas season, after that The Sweet Inspirations became a trio.

The four person you see during TTWII was Millie Kirkham. Then in '72 she was replaced with Kathy Westmoreland. None of them became really a member of The Sweets, they remained a trio, but filled the spot Cissy left during Elvis Tours and Vegas Seasons.

No, the fourth person was Ann Williams who was a church friend of Estelle Brown of the Sweet Inspirations, who was called on to replace Cissy. Millie was white. From my understanding, Cissy stayed on past the 1969 Vegas engagement and was recording with the Sweet Inspirations during the On Stage sessions in February in Las Vegas but left during that period when her daughter Whitney had to be hospitalized. She never returned. Ann came on for the following Vegas engagement in August of 1970 but left shortly after. The Sweet Inspirations then decided not to replace her with another girl and became a trio.

[buttonhead]

Great thread and informations guys , thanks Albert for brought this up... Cissy was also there as the backup vocal on Elvis LIVES! DVD Concert in 2002 , along with Myrna Smith and Estelle Brown. So far as the connection between Linda Thompson and Whitney ... yes she wrote song on the BodyGuard Album, because her husband ( then ) David Foster was the producer of the album... Linda also wrote a song With Richard marx for Josh Groban.. To Where You Are.. if you read the lyrics..as if she dedicated the song for Elvis, one who once she loved dearly and now has gone, but she knows he always watches over her shoulder.

[Lisarose]

So who were the ladies who backed Elvis in the Gospel segment of Singer Presents Elvis! aka the 68 Comeback Special?
I wonder why Elvis didn't ask them to be with him in Vegas, or were they booked elsewhere?

[Nicole Presley]

No, the fourth person was Ann Williams who was a church friend of Estelle Brown of the Sweet Inspirations, who was called on to replace Cissy.
Thank you. That´s exactly what I wanted to know.

[vivaelvis]

So who were the ladies who backed Elvis in the Gospel segment of Singer Presents Elvis! aka the 68 Comeback Special?
I wonder why Elvis didn't ask them to be with him in Vegas, or were they booked elsewhere?

Darlene Love and The Blossoms. Elvis did ask them to tour with him but Darlene said they couldn't. But it was for personal reasons.

Speaking of Darlene, it's been no secret that she had a fling with Elvis during the Change Of habit movie, but she's tried to protect his image by blowing it off as innocence. According to Darlene in a recent interview, she said that he came on to her but that she was too scared to take him up on his offer. She said that they were real good friends and that she and Elvis once hung out at the Memphian Theater when the girls were in town in the 70's.

Over the years, Darlene has changed up her story about the romance. She's even admitted "they weren't going to let him be with a black girl", referring to his family and his people around him.

[KPM]

So who were the ladies who backed Elvis in the Gospel segment of Singer Presents Elvis! aka the 68 Comeback Special?
I wonder why Elvis didn't ask them to be with him in Vegas, or were they booked elsewhere?
They were The Blossoms, Darlene Love, Fanita James, Jean King. They also appeared in "Change of Habit" when Elvis sang Rubberneckin and at the end singing in the church.
Darlene Love has done several acting roles including playing Danny Glovers wife in the Lethal Weapon films.
Her voice was lead on many Motown hits and she had to fight to get credit for her vocals.
I think the Blossums were backing Tom Jones during Elvis's return to live performances.

[vivaelvis]

They were The Blossoms, Darlene Love, Fanita James, Jean King. They also appeared in "Change of Habit" when Elvis sang Rubberneckin and at the end singing in the church.
Darlene Love has done several acting roles including playing Danny Glovers wife in the Lethal Weapon films.
Her voice was lead on many Motown hits and she had to fight to get credit for her vocals.
I think the Blossums were backing Tom Jones during Elvis's return to live performances.

According to Love, they began working with Tom Jones in 1971. How ironic too that Jones had The Blossoms as his opening act and backup singers to his shows the same way that Elvis did with The Sweet Inspirations. I have always felt that Tom copied Elvis and was envy of him, even though they were close friends.

[Raised on Rock]

No, the fourth person was Ann Williams who was a church friend of Estelle Brown of the Sweet Inspirations, who was called on to replace Cissy. Millie was white. From my understanding, Cissy stayed on past the 1969 Vegas engagement and was recording with the Sweet Inspirations during the On Stage sessions in February in Las Vegas but left during that period when her daughter Whitney had to be hospitalized. She never returned. Ann came on for the following Vegas engagement in August of 1970 but left shortly after. The Sweet Inspirations then decided not to replace her with another girl and became a trio.

Thank you so much Brian! That makes much more sense.