Introduction
When The King Met The Voice: Elvis, Whitney, and the 1969 Vegas Comeback
The summer of 1969 marked a pivotal moment in rock and roll history. After years confined to Hollywood movie sets, Elvis Presley staged his glorious return to the concert stage at the new International Hotel in Las Vegas. To ensure the performance was electrifying, Elvis assembled an impressive musical arsenal, including a full orchestra, a rock band, and a dynamic female soul and gospel group: The Sweet Inspirations.
The lead singer of that group was Cissy Houston, a powerhouse vocalist who would later become the matriarch of a music dynasty. Cissy and her group not only provided iconic soprano backing—memorably heard on Elvis’s laughing rendition of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”—but also formed a genuine bond with the King. Cissy often spoke of Elvis as a “gentleman” who shared their love for gospel music, turning rehearsals into informal, spiritual jam sessions.
The Young Whitney and the King’s Presence
Through her mother, a six-year-old Whitney Houston—the future Voice—had a fleeting, yet indelible, encounter with the legendary star. Whitney famously described the moment he walked into the room backstage wearing his mink coat and sunglasses, saying: “You don’t really meet Elvis. You actually just look at Elvis.”
It was the presence of a global icon, a figure so mythic that direct conversation felt impossible. To the young girl, Elvis wasn’t a person; he was an awesome, mesmerizing force, validating Cissy’s work and inadvertently exposing Whitney to the highest level of musical stardom.
Dionne Warwick and the Bracelet
The Houston family connection ran deeper. Cissy also introduced Elvis to her niece, the rising solo star Dionne Warwick. Dionne, opening at the Sands Hotel simultaneously, quickly charmed the King. He not only proved to be a fan of her recordings but also offered an extraordinary gesture of support, announcing from his own stage that anyone who bought a Dionne Warwick album would receive his personal photograph. This act of kindness boosted her sales dramatically and cemented Dionne’s view of Elvis as one of the nicest—and “prettiest”—men she had ever met.
Though Cissy left The Sweet Inspirations after that initial 1969 run, the connection remained. Elvis gifted Cissy a large gold bracelet, inscribed with his personal nickname for her: “Squirly.”
The Path Not Taken
Interestingly, The Sweet Inspirations weren’t Elvis’s first choice. He initially reached out to The Blossoms, the renowned group led by Darlene Love, who had worked with him on his 1968 Comeback Special and the 1969 film Change of Habit. However, when the Colonel offered The Blossoms $1,500 a week for the Vegas residency—far less than their usual rate of $5,000—Darlene Love was forced to decline, clearing the way for Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations to step into a piece of music history.
This unique intersection of three musical generations—Elvis, Cissy, and Whitney—highlights the close-knit, yet often financially fraught, world of 20th-century American music.