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Ms. Dionne Warwick is an international household name with nearly sixty records on the charts since "Don't Make Me Over" began its fateful climb in the early months of 1963. As a performer, she has charmed and entertained audiences on every continent, amassing a global audience from Rome to Rio, from London to Lagos and from Manhattan to Singapore.
Dionne Warwick has earned 5 Grammy Awards, the first of which was in 1968 for her classic hit "Do You Know The Way To San Jose". Other hits include Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Walk On By", "I Say A Little Prayer", "In The Land of Make Believe," "The Last One To Be Loved", "Message To Michael", "This Girl's In Love With You", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," "Reach Out For Me, "Deja Vu", That's what Friends Are For & many many more.
In recent years, Dionne's pioneering efforts have focused on leading the music industry in the fight against AIDS; her Grammy-winning chart topping single "That's What Friends Are For" was the tip of the iceberg, raising literally millions of dollars for AIDS research. The recipient of countless awards, Dionne's status as a musical icon and humanitarian is legendary. With her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she continues to work tirelessly with various organizations dedicated to empowering and inspiring others.
Dionne Warwick Bio
As a teenager in the mid-1950s, Warwick, her sister Dee Dee, and two cousins formed a group called The Gospelaires. The group performed locally and sometimes worked as backup singers for other acts. Planning to become a public school music teacher, Warwick accepted a scholarship to study at the University of Hartford's Hartt College of Music. In 1961, during a summer vacation from college, Warwick rejoined The Gospelaires to sing backup on The Drifters' recording of "Mexican Divorce." Conducting the session was the song's composer, Burt Bacharach. Bacharach, and his lyricist partner Hal David, asked Warwick to sing on a demonstration record of one of their compositions. The record was heard by Florence Greenberg of Scepter Records, a small label specializing in rhythm and blues. Greenberg did not like the song but did like the singer and signed Warwick to a contract. Warwick's first recording for Scepter, released in 1962, was more Bacharach-David material. Though Scepter was promoting the song "I Smiled Yesterday" as the potential hit, it was the record's "B" side, the powerfully plaintive "Don't Make Me Over," that caught on and went to the No. 21 position on the Billboard chart. A misspelling on the record Warwick instead of Warrick gave Warwick her stage name..
The trio of Warwick, Bacharach, and David followed up with a long string of top ten hits over the next decade, including "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "Walk on By" (both 1964), "Message to Michael" (1966), "I Say a Little Prayer for You" (1968), and "This Girl's in Love with You" (1969). Other hits include "Trains and Boats and Planes," "Alfie," "You'll Never Get to Heaven," and "Make It Easy on Yourself.".
Warwick took two songs from Bacharach and David's 1968 Broadway musical Promises, Promises "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and the title song to the pop charts. She won the Grammy Award for Contemporary Pop Vocal twice during this period for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (1968) and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (1970). Though numerous other performers made hits of Bacharach-David songs, including The Carpenters with "Close to You," and B.J. Thomas with "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," it was their work with Warwick that best exemplified their distinctive style. Despite her lucrative relationship with Bacharach and David, it was the song Theme from The Valley of the Dolls" (written by Andre and Dory Previn) that brought Warwick the most success when it reached No. 2 on the charts..
In 1972, Bacharch and David brought their songwriting partnership to an acrimonious end. The split shocked Warwick and left her unable to fulfill her obligation to Warner Bros., the record company with which she had signed the previous year, to make a new album of Bacharch-David material. Threatened with a breach of contract suit from Warner Bros., Warwick sued Bacharach and David and eventually won an out-of-court settlement. Her collaboration with The Spinners on the song "Then Came You," went to the top of the Billboard chart in the autumn of 1974.
Warwick's career got back on track when she signed with Arista records in 1979. (Arista president Clive Davis was also instrumental in the career of Warwick's cousin, Whitney Houston). Davis arranged for Barry Manilow to produce Warwick's first Arista album, Dionne. Warwick was uneasy at first about working with Manilow, fearing their differing styles would clash. Happily, the Warwick-Manilow collaboration was spectacularly successful, resulting in the hits "I'll Never Love This Way Again" and "Deja Vu." Each song earned a Grammy award for Warwick (in the Pop Female Vocal and in Rhythm and Blues Female Vocal categories, respectively)..
Warwick further increased her visibility by hosting the television show Solid Gold, which featured a countdown of the week's top hits and guest appearances by popular recording artists. Furthermore, the title song from her 1982 album Heartbreaker took her yet again to the top ten on the Billboard chart..
Since the early 1980s, Warwick has devoted much of her time to charitable activities. In 1984, she was one of 45 top performers to sing on the hit single "We Are the World," the proceeds of which went to USA for Africa's hunger relief program. Warwick brought together Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John to join her on the recording "That's What Friends Are For." Written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, the song was a smash that went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart in January 1986 and raised an estimated $2 million for AIDS research. Warwick, who has hosted countless fundraising benefits for AIDS research, has also been involved in raising awareness of other health issues, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Sickle Cell Anemia. In the mid-1980s she founded the group BRAVO (Blood Revolves Around Victorious Optimism) to raise awareness of blood diseases..
A heavy schedule of charitable activities has not caused Warwick's singing career to languish. She has continued to record and perform regularly. In 1987, her duet with Jeffery Osborne on the song "Love Power" went to No. 12 on the Billboard chart. Among her notable albums is the 1992 release Friends Can Be Lovers, which featured the songs "Sunny Weather Lover, "Love Will Find a Way," and a duet with close friend Luther Vandross titled "Fragile." (Originally published online by the A & E Channel in conjunction with it's TV show "Biography")
Official Dionne Warwick Website >>>
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