The Sweet Inspirations

This soul and gospel vocal supergroup, which has provided backing vocals for numerous artists and has had Dionne Warwick and Cissy Houston as members, emanates from The Drinkard Singers choir, active since 1938. Created in 1959, it included Dionne Warwick and Doris Troy (gone in 1963), Dee Dee Warwick (until 1965), before the arrival in 1963 of Cissy Houston and Sylvia Shemwell, followed by Estelle Brown and Myrna Smith. Under this new configuration, The Sweet Inspirations enjoyed success with a homonymous debut album packed with soul hits in 1967, and the launch of a career as backing singers for Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Yusef Lateef, George Benson, Wilson Pickett, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark and The Rascals. Parallel to this double career, the band recorded five successful albums for Atlantic, in both soul pop and gospel, before signing with Stax, then Columbia and RSO, during their conversion to disco. Key hits include "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "Let It Be Me" in 1967, "Sweet Inspiration", "To Love Somebody " and "Unchained Melody" 1968. After breaking up in 1979, the group was reborn in 1994 with Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell and Portia Griffin, and recorded the album In the Right Place in 2005. Following the deaths of Doris Troy (2004) and Dee Dee Warwick (2008), in 2010 active members Sylvia Shemwell and Myrna Smith passed away, replaced by Kelly Jones. Having left in 1969, Cissy Houston - mother of Whitney Houston and aunt of Dionne Warwick and Dee Warwick - died on October 7, 2024 at the age of 91.