Dionne Warwick

Blessed with a refined, intense contralto, Dionne Warwick is one of America's greatest vocalists and an international musical icon. Particularly legendary are her interpretations of Burt Bacharach's classics, as he always considered her his supreme muse.

Over a career spanning more than fifty years, she has sold over 100 million records and won 6 Grammy Awards. With 56 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, she is the second female singer, in the period 1955-1999, with the most chart entries, behind only Aretha Franklin. She is also among the forty greatest hitmakers in history and was named by Billboard among the 100 most successful singers of all time.

Born on December 12, 1940 into a family steeped in gospel – both her father and mother sang in a group – Marie Dionne Warrick began singing at a very young age, founding the Gospelaires with her sister Dee Dee and her aunt Cissy Houston (whom she shares with Whitney Houston, making her Whitney's cousin). She began studying music at the Hartt College of Music in Hartford while continuing to pursue her singing career. She was discovered, during a session for The Drifters, by the man destined to become the guiding light of her career, Burt Bacharach, who together with his longtime partner Hal David wrote and produced her first single, "Don't Make Me Over", in 1962. The record was pressed with an error that would stick forever: from then on, the surname Warrick was transformed into "Warwick".

Less than a decade later, Dionne had already released more than 18 consecutive singles in the Top 100, including her classic interpretations of songs by the Bacharach/David duo such as "Walk On By", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Message To Michael", "Promises Promises", "A House Is Not A Home", "Alfie", "Say A Little Prayer", "This Girl's In Love With You", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Reach Out For Me" and the theme from "Valley Of The Dolls".

In 1968, she won her first Grammy Award for "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?". She thus became the first African-American artist of her generation to win the prestigious award for best contemporary female vocal performance (previously given to only one other legend, Ella Fitzgerald). Also historic was her 1963 performance at the Olympia Theatre in Paris alongside Marlene Dietrich. Five years later, she became the first African-American female artist to appear in a performance before the Queen of England. Since then, Dionne Warwick has performed before numerous kings, queens, presidents and heads of state.

Blending pop, soul, gospel and R&B, Dionne became a global icon able to transcend ethnicities, cultures and musical boundaries, somewhat along the lines of what her fellow artist Diana Ross had already achieved. In 1970, she won her second Grammy for the album "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", and began her second decade of success with Warner Bros., recording albums with top-tier producers such as Thom Bell, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Jerry Ragavoy, Steve Barri and Michael Omartian.

In 1974, she topped the charts with "Then Came You", a duet with The Spinners, then teamed up with Isaac Hayes for a hugely successful world tour, "A Man And A Woman".

In 1976, she forged a new partnership with Arista, launching a third decade of success. Label-mate Barry Manilow produced her first platinum album, "Dionne", which included hits such as "I'll Never Love This Way Again" and "Déjà vu", earning her two more Grammys.

Even more successful was her next album, "Heartbreaker" (1982), co-produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and propelled to the top of international charts by its splendid title track.

Called upon to take on one of the key parts in the charity single "We Are The World", Warwick also performs at Live Aid in 1984. That same year she releases "Finder Of Lost Loves Followed", the result of a new collaboration with Manilow and with Bacharach, who for the occasion enlists the support of his then-partner, Carole Bayer Sager. Then, in 1985, she reunites with Bacharach alongside longtime friends Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder to record the charity hit "That's What Friends Are For", in support of AmFar's fight against Aids.

During the Eighties and Nineties, Dionne Warwick collaborates with a number of artists, including Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osbourne, Kashif and Stevie Wonder. She also records several theme songs, including "Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams" for the popular TV series "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous", and "The Love Boat" for Aaron Spelling's hit show.

But it's above all the 1993 album, "Friends Can Be Lovers", co-produced by Ian Devaney and Lisa Stansfield, that truly shines, featuring "Sunny Weather Lover", the first song the Bacharach-David duo wrote specifically for her in 21 years.

More recently, Warwick has recorded an album of duets, "My Friends & Me", a gospel record, "Why We Sing", and a new jazz work, "Only Trust Your Heart", a collection of standards celebrating the music of legendary composer Sammy Cahn.

She has also published two children's books, "Say A Little Prayer" and "Little Man", and her first autobiography, "My Life As I See It". She continues to support campaigns for many causes, such as the fight against Aids and world hunger, and has served as a UN ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Her finest interpretations of Bacharach's songs are gathered on the milestone 1994 album "Dionne Warwick Sings The Bacharach & David Songbook", while her most recent studio album, "Dionne Warwick & The Voices Of Christmas", dates back to 2019.

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