The Drinkard Singers were an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

singing group, most successful in the late 1950s and important in the careers of singers

Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, and a f ...

, and

Judy Clay Judy Clay (September 12, 1938 – July 19, 2001)
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016. was an American < ...

Family origins

Nitcholas (aka ''Nitch'', 1896–1952) and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill; 1901–1941) who had eight children - sons William (1918–2003), Hansom (1925–1986), Nicky (1929–1992), and Larry (1931–2012), and daughters Lee (1920–2005), Marie (1922–2007), Anne (1927–2003) and Emily "Cissy" (b. 1933). The Drinkard surname, although gained through a Native American ancestor, has British origins with a meaning that alludes to ''the running of water''. Nitcholas Drinkard was born to a part

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, part African-American, mother Susan Bell Drinkard (née Fuller; b. 1876) and a full Native American father John Drinkard Jr. (b. 1870). He was descended from a family of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

landowners in

Blakely, Georgia Blakely is a city and the county seat of Early County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,068. It is located approximately halfway between Columbus and Tallahassee, Florida on U.S. Route 27. History Blakely w ...

where three of his children were born. The Drinkards owned a substantial amount of

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

during a time when it was unusual for

blacks Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

to own large portions of land. The asset was gradually depleted as small portions of the land were sold, over time, to resolve the continued legal troubles of a close relative. The family moved to New Jersey during the Great Migration. In 1938, mother Delia suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

three years later. Nitcholas died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

in 1951.

Musical career

The driving inspiration behind the Drinkard Singers was factory worker Nitcholas "Nitch" Drinkard, who encouraged his children to form a gospel singing group in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...

), her sister Anne Drinkard-Moss, and her brothers Nick and Larry. Another sister, Lee Drinkard Warrick, the mother of

Dee Dee Deedee, DeeDee or Dee Dee may refer to: Given name * DeeDee Halleck (born 1940), American media activist * DeeDee Jonrowe (born 1953), American kennel owner and dog musher, three-time runner up in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race * Deedee Mag ...

and

, served as the group's manager. Sister Marie later joined the group, leading to them changing the name to the Drinkard Singers. Anne Drinkard-Moss left and was replaced by Lee's adopted daughter Judy Guions, who was later known as

Judy Clay Judy Clay (September 12, 1938 – July 19, 2001)
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016. was an American < ...

. Performing regularly in Newark and all over New Jersey and New York, they recorded several singles. After an appearance at the 1957

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

, they recorded the first gospel album to appear on a major label, the live album ''

A Joyful Noise ''A Joyful Noise'' is a musical with a book by Edward Padula and music and lyrics by Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau. The 1966 Broadway production was a flop but introduced choreographer Michael Bennett in his Broadway debut. Based on Mississipp ...

'', for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in 1959. After several personnel changes in the early 1960s, the remaining members of the group in 1967 became

The Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...

, who would sing background for the Warwick sisters,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

References

External links

The Drinkard Singers singing "Lift Him Up"

Drinkard Singers at Newport 1957

Blessed Be The Name of The Lord - Dionne Warwick and the Drinkard Singers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drinkard Singers, The American gospel musical groups Musical groups from New Jersey African-American musical groups Musical groups established in 1938 African-American history in Newark, New Jersey