Dionne Warwick

Biography

Dionne Warwick (born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host who became one of the most successful recording artists of the 1960s and beyond.[1][5] Discovered by songwriter-composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David in 1961, Warwick signed her first recording contract in 1962.[3] Her debut single, "Don't Make Me Over," became a top 40 pop hit and top 5 R&B song, establishing her as a crossover artist.[4] From 1963 to 1966, she achieved unprecedented success by becoming the first crossover artist to record 18 consecutive Top 100 hit singles, including "Walk On By" (1964), "I Say a Little Prayer" (1967), "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" (1968), and "A House is Not a Home."[1][5] Her distinctive smooth voice and emotive performances captivated audiences worldwide, and her collaboration with Bacharach and David produced dozens of chart-topping hits that defined an era of popular music.

Warwick's career spanned multiple decades of continued success and reinvention. In 1968, she became the first African-American solo female artist of her generation to win a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Female Vocalist Performance for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"—an achievement previously matched only by Ella Fitzgerald.[2] She earned a second Grammy in 1970 for the album "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."[1] In 1979, she signed with Arista Records and experienced a major resurgence, winning two Grammy Awards for "Deja Vu" and "I'll Never Love This Way Again," becoming the first female artist to win Best Pop Vocal Performance and Best R&B Vocal Performance in the same year.[4][7] Over her career, she earned more than 75 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records worldwide.[5]

Beyond music, Warwick became a prominent humanitarian and television personality. She hosted successful music programs including Solid Gold and the Soul Train Music Awards, and starred in her own show, Dionne And Friends.[3] In 1987, she was appointed the first United States Ambassador of Health by President Ronald Reagan, a position she held through both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.[2][3] She later became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization.[8] In 2019, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, cementing her legacy as a music icon and humanitarian.[1] Her honors include inductions into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, and Apollo Theater Walk of Fame.[6]

Fun Facts

• Her stage name was created by accident: her first single "Don't Make Me Over" was released in 1962 with her last name misspelled as "Warwick" instead of "Warrick" on the label, and the incorrect spelling stuck as her professional name.[4]
• In 1968, Warwick became the first solo African-American artist among her peers to perform before the Queen of England at a Royal Command Performance.[2]
• In 1971, she signed with Warner Bros. Records for $5 million, which was the largest recording contract offered to a female vocalist at that time.[4]
• In 2002, she cofounded the Dionne Warwick Design Group, a venture focused on redesigning private estates and hotels, demonstrating her diverse business interests beyond music.[7]

Associated Acts

• The Gospelaires - original
• The Drinkard Singers
• We Are Family Collective
• Dionne & Friends
• Burt and The Backbeats

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Burt Bacharach - Music conductor and composer who discovered Warwick during a session with The Drifters and became her primary musical collaborator and mentor ("Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls," "A House is Not a Home," "Alfie," and numerous other hits) [1961-1960s and beyond; reunited in 2012 for album Now]
• Hal David - Lyricist and songwriter who partnered with Bacharach to create Warwick's signature songs; discovered her alongside Bacharach (Lyricist for all major Bacharach-David collaborations with Warwick) [1961-1960s and beyond; reunited in 2012 for album Now]

Key Collaborators

• Barry Manilow - Producer who worked with Warwick on her comeback album in the late 1970s (Dionne (1979), which became her first platinum-selling album) [1979]
• The Spinners - Duet partner on million-selling single ("Then Came You") [1970s]
• Isaac Hayes - Collaborated on highly successful world tour ("A Man and a Woman" world tour) [1970s]
• Phil Ramone - Engineer who served on many of her classic recordings and reunited with her for 2012 album (Now (2012)) [1960s-1970s and 2012]

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not provided in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #adult-contemporary, #easy-listening, #pop