STILL AS FEISTY AS EVER!

DIONNE WARWICK STILL FEISTY WHILE APPROACHING 80TH BIRTHDAY

- ELLIOT STEPHEN COHEN

“I’ve always considered myself first and foremost a messenger,” says legendary singer Dionne Warwick. “That applies to anyone who has the ability to reach people by singing or writing music. We bring the joy that people need to hear, especially with what’s going on in the world right now.”

Born Marie Dionne Warrick on December 12, 1940, in the small town of Orange, New Jersey, she became one of the most successful hitmakers of the past seven decades. Between 1962 and 2000, she placed 69 singles on the Billboard charts, with worldwide record sales of 75 million singles and 25 million albums.

Like many African American contemporaries, including her aunt Cissy Houston who worked with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, and niece Whitney Houston, Warwick’s musical roots can be traced to the church. “It was major. Coming from a gospel-singing family where really everyone was my mentor, that type of music has been with me all of my life. It’s still a big part of it, because you learned early on to understand the worth of a lyric, what it means, and the value of a melody. That background helped me tremendously when I started singing more commercial music.”

Following a chance meeting with the equally legendary songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David and being signed in 1962 by Scepter Records owner Florence Greenberg, the combined partnership resulted in a long run of hugely successful singles, including “Walk on By,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.”