Girl Group Chronicles: The Sweet Inspirations
Emily "Cissy" Houston, mother of Whitney Houston, and aunt of Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick was the original founding member of one of the most famous session groups in history. Second only to the Blossoms perhaps for their efforts as backing vocalists, this group managed to have quite a few hits under their own name, unlike their major competition.
Cissy was a member of the gospel group the Drinkard Singers before forming a group with Dionne, Dee Dee and Doris Troy in the early sixties. Soon, however, the other three members were having some solo success, and Dionne and Doris left. Sylvia Shemwell entered at this point. The members soon found their way onto records with the likes of Wilson Pickett, Garnet Mimms, and even Aretha Franklin, who was struggling to make a name for herself at Columbia Records.
Dee Dee decided to exit in 1965 and Myrna Smith and Estelle Brown came in to form the line-up most remembered today. The group had been recording a lot of material as back-up girls for Atlantic, and in an attempt to keep them from being lewered away, the label signed them to record some singles by themselves. Now all they needed was a name. For many years whenever someone wanted the gals they asked for "the Group," but now, the girls needed an offical name.
According to the liner notes of their self titled album The Sweet Inspirations, Jerry Wexler turned to Cissy and told her he had an inspiration, to which she promptly replyed, "oh, sweet!" Actually the group brought so much inspiration to the singers they backed, that Chuck Jackson suggested that name, and since their was already a group with that name, they added "Sweet" in front of it.
In the summer of 1967 the Sweet Inspirations recorded some soul-like versions of "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)," originally by the Staples Singers, and "Let It Be Me," which reached number 57 and number 94 on the pop charts respectively. On the R&B charts, moreover, the songs reached number 36 and number 13, really establishing the girls as major recording artists.
A breath-taking version of Aretha Franklin’s "Do Right Woman-Do Right Man" was next up, but it failed to chart so closely after it predecessor. The girls had recorded enough songs to make their first album, and the title track, "Sweet Inspiration," became their biggest hit yet. It peaked at number 18 on the pop charts, but made it all the way to the Top 5 on the R&B listings.
The group had previously been having luck recording cover versions of old songs, so three more followed in seccession. The Bee Gee’s "To Love Somebody" made number 74 pop and number 30 R&B, the Righteous Brothers’ "Unchained Melody," hit number 73 pop and number 41 R&B, but Jackie DeShannon’s "What The World Needs Now Is Love" didn’t make a chart impression.
"Crying In The Rain" bubbled under to a Pop 112 chart placing, although once again the song did substanticially better on the Soul charts at number 42. The Drifter’s "Sweets For My Sweet" and Marvin Gaye’s "Chained" did not chart.
In late 1969 the group underwent some personnel changes. Den mother Cissy Houston decided to leave the group for a solo career (she had a hit with the Ronettes’ "Be My Baby")but not before recording "I’ve Gotta Find Myself A Brand New Lover" which climbed into the R&B Top 25 and topped off at number 117 on the pop charts. The group’s fifth album, entitled Sweet, Sweet Soul, was thereafter completed by the remaining three Sweet Inspirations and Ann Williams, a close friend of Estelle.
Now comprising a trio, Estelle Myrna and Syvia recorded a final feel songs, including "This World" number 123 Pop and number 45 R&B, and "Evidence," number 44 R&B. Thhe group then began appearing at more live concerts, as backing vocalists and the warm-up act for the likes of Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.
Stops at Stax Records and the RSO label, which had so much success in the late 70s with the Disco era, resulted in two more albums. The Sweet Inspirations then retired for a period before re-emerging in 1994 to perform several shows and benefits.