Cissy Houston

[SoulKiss]

I've recently fallen in love with Cissy Houston's Warning Danger, especially the extended remix. Anyone know if Cissy ever made any music videos or anything like that? I've been a Dionne fan for ages, and only recently started to explore Cissy because of the family relationship; frankly, I'm sorry I waited so long! Can't get enough of her!

[markydefad]

I, too, am a big fan of Miss Cissy's Warning/Danger & Think It Over. Great records that don't get mentioned enough. Cissy was already a bit "matronly" by the time these records were released--don't recall any videos.

Remember how they had the skinny black model lip-syncing Martha Wash's "Everybody dance NOW!!!" in C + C's Music Factory? The same fate might have met Miss Cissy. :roll:

[Simon White]

Originally Posted by markydefad

I, too, am a big fan of Miss Cissy's Warning/Danger & Think It Over. Great records that don't get mentioned enough. Cissy was already a bit "matronly" by the time these records were released--don't recall any videos.

Remember how they had the skinny black model lip-syncing Martha Wash's "Everybody dance NOW!!!" in C + C's Music Factory? The same fate might have met Miss Cissy. :roll:

I seem to remember two different covers for the album too..and possibly different versions ?

I saw a privately owned video recently of a TV special with Cissy singing tracks from her pre disco album on Janus, including my personal favourite, something that at the right emotional moment can reduce me to jelly, a version of "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself' best know as a Dusty Springfield hit but originally sung by Tommy Hunt I believe.

I've also seen a more recent (well, twenty years old at least!) documentary with Cissy teaching her Church choir in New Jersey (I think). She was a pretty hard task mistress.

[garrybcoston]

Originally Posted by markydefad

I, too, am a big fan of Miss Cissy's Warning/Danger & Think It Over. Great records that don't get mentioned enough. Cissy was already a bit "matronly" by the time these records were released--don't recall any videos.

Remember how they had the skinny black model lip-syncing Martha Wash's "Everybody dance NOW!!!" in C + C's Music Factory? The same fate might have met Miss Cissy. :roll:

Yeah, she's a fan of mine as well, but shooting "off the hip," I don't think there's many music videos out there of her; best thing to do is go sniffing around "you tube" and see what you find; Loleatta Holloway has some old videos on "You Tube" so there's got to be something, even if it's piece meal on Cissy Houston.

I think she kind of packed her disco bags after it was all over because you don't ever hear her saying much of her disco days; maybe it was because of the scene, drugs, etc. in which I read that she had some problems with them. In addition, she is now a staunch Godly/Christian Lady, and maybe she wanted to leave that part of her past behind.

Garry

[Mixmachine]

Not a Disco tune but Cissy Houston is the vocalist on Herbie Mann's 1976 version of "Cajun Moon" a nice soulful/blues number, later in 1995 Randy Crawford released her version of this song.

[tony98]

I bought a good cover version of Cissy's "Think It Over" about 3 or 4 years a go by non other than Jennifer Holliday, it is a House version but it works really well.

[garrybcoston]

Here are a few "You Tube" videos of her recently, but hardly nothing from the 70's. If I come across those, I'll post them. It seems that her voice is deteriorating now as she is old, but on one of them, in which she duets with Whitney, about when Whitney first came on the scene, is pretty good:

YouTube - 1 - Whitney & Cissy Houston - I Know Him So Well

YouTube - Whitney Houston A Quiet Place

YouTube - Whitney Houston, Cissy and Gary Houston - When I Saw you

Garry

[neonlights]

I love Cissy's disco work, too.. I remember being 10 years old and dancing my lil butt off to "Think It Over" on one of my parents' old K-tel 8 Tracks.. God, I was one gay little kid lol If that didn't tip 'em off..

Anyway, some years later I came across her underrated self-titled LP from 77 on Private Stock. I thought it might have been a disco record, given the cover shot and that it was also produced by Michael Zager.. Instead, I got one tear-jerking, gut-wrenching, straight-ahead soul album.. The number of tracks and their lengths should have tipped me off, but that one remains one of my favourite Soul albums ever.. Her version of "Make It Easy On Yourself" just kills me every time.

[normvork]

The remix with all the sirens on Warning-Danger is so fantastic! But why no mention of You're the Fire? That song has enough energy to burn down the house!

[FlyRobinFly]

Wasn't Cissy Houston playing the choir director in a movie a while back with Whitney?

I can't think of the name of the movie at all but Denzel played an angel who helped Whitney and her husband.