THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS

An in-demand back-up group, the Sweet Inspirations appeared on acclaimed recordings by Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Jimi Hendrix, and Van Morrison (among many others).

The Sweet Inspirations grew out of the Drinkard Singers, a family gospel act from New Jersey. They were the first gospel group to release an LP on a major label. A Joyful Noise, recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, came out on RCA Victor in 1959.

The original Sweet Inspirations comprised Lee Warwick, her daughters Dionne and Dee Dee, Emily “Cissy” Houston (nee Drinkard), and Doris Troy. In 1963, Dionne Warwick launched her solo career with “Don’t Make Me Over,” as did Doris Troy with “Just One Look.” The Sweet Inspirations appeared on both singles. Later group members included Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith (who both joined in 1965) and Sylvia Shemwell (who came aboard in 1966).

The group spent much of the ‘60s as in-demand studio singers. In 1967, they provided back-up vocals on Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” a #10 hit. They also lent their voices to Jimi Hendrix’s “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” and the Queen of Soul’s album, Aretha Arrives. Her label, Atlantic, was impressed enough to offer the Sweet Inspirations a recording contract. Their self-titled debut LP produced three charted singles. The first was a secularized version of the Staple Singers’ civil-rights anthem, “Why (Am I Treated So Bad).” They followed with “Let It Be Me,” previously a hit for the Everly Brothers (1960) and the duo of Betty Everett & Jerry Butler (1964).

Their third single, named for the group, became their biggest hit. “Sweet Inspiration” reached #5 on the R&B chart and #18 pop in the spring of 1968. That same year, they provided back-up vocals on the albums Aretha Now, Lady Soul (Aretha Franklin), Dusty in Memphis (Dusty Springfield), Goodies (George Benson), and The Blue Yusef Lateef. They also released their own LPs, Songs of Faith and Inspiration and What the World Needs Now Is Love.

The ladies continued their back-up work in 1969, lending their voices to Wilson Pickett and Brook Benton. They also released their fourth LP for Atlantic, Sweets for My Sweet, and went on tour with Elvis Presley both as background singers and as a warm-up act.

Cissy Houston’s final session with the Sweet Inspirations came in October 1969. After that, she left the group to concentrate on her solo career and family (which included her six-year-old daughter, Whitney Houston). Her replacement was Ann Williams, who performed on the group’s fifth and last Atlantic album, Sweet Sweet Soul.

By 1973, the Sweet Inspirations were reduced to a trio. They recorded an LP for Stax, Estelle, Myrna and Sylvia. By the following year, they were on Columbia, for whom they released one album, Wanted Dead Or Alive. In 1978, the Sweet Inspirations sang back-up on Frankie Valli’s #1 hit, “Grease.”

In 1979, they toured with the Bee Gees, providing background vocals on the Spirits Having Flown tour. By then, Estelle Brown was no longer with the Sweet Inspirations. Her replacement, Gloria Brown (no relation), toured with the group but did not appear on Hot Butterfly, their first album in five years. As the 1970s wound down, the Sweet Inspirations broke up.

They re-formed in 1994 with Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown, and a fourth member, Portia Griffin. They performed at Elvis Presley tribute shows, but did not record any new material until 2005. They did, however, sing on the Killers’ hit album, Hot Fuss, in 2004.

In 2001, Shemwell had suffered a stroke that kept her from any further touring. She died on February 13, 2010. That same year, during a European tour for Elvis: The Concert, Myrna Smith caught pneumonia. Back home in the States, she endured both kidney failure and a severe stroke, culminating with her death on December 24, 2010.

Charted singles:

“Why (Am I Treated So Bad)” (1967) R&B #36, Pop #57
“Let It Be Me” (1967) R&B #13, Pop #94
“Sweet Inspiration” (1968) R&B #5, Pop #18
“To Love Somebody” (1968) R&B #30, Pop #74
“Unchained Melody” (1968) R&B #41, Pop #73
“Crying in the Rain” (1969) R&B #42
“(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover” (1969) R&B #25
“This World” (1970) R&B #45
“Evidence” (1971) R&B #44