Impossible I
T IS said everyone has a favourite Dionne Warwick song. From Do You Know The Way To San Jose in 1969 to her 1987 collaboration That’s What Friends Are For with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, there is certainly a large selection to choose from.
The soul and pop hit maker herself says she simply cannot imagine living in a world without music.
“This is what I do,” she states simply, “I sing. I have music. I can’t imagine my life without music. It’s impossible.
“My first musical memory was of gospel choirs. That’s were it all started for me, that’s where it began – in a gospel choir singing.”
Her vocal talents were obvious from an early age and the singer, who was born Marie Dionne Warrick in East Orange, New Jersey, was soon busy singing on demo recordings.
“I was singing when I was still at high school,” she remembers with a wry chuckle, “yes, that was something I was doing.”
She first got noticed singing backing vocals for The Drifters and her surname was famously changed to Warwick when it was misspelt on her first single in 1962.
“It’s not bad when your first single is a hit,” she laughs.
“I remember I had been driving a friend to the airport and they started to play my song on the radio and I just had to pull my car over and stop and listen.
“It was just so strange hearing myself sing over the radio, but wonderful as well.”
The song was Don’t Make Me Over and launched her career.
“I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time,” she points out.
Two years later Walk On By followed and established Dionne as a musical heavyweight.
Don’t Make Me Over also happens to be the title of her forthcoming UK tour, which kicks off next week with a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Now aged 77, the strikinglooking singer, born under the star sign Sagittarius, will be marking her 78th birthday in December.
Her musical heritage includes five Grammys and five decades of classic songs including Anyone Who Had A Heart and Heartbreaker.
Working with American songwriter Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David was a match made in musical heaven and resulted in many of her most popular songs.
It has led to Dionne joining the ranks of the biggest hit makers in music and one of the most charted females singers of all time with more than 56 hits to her name.
“When I first met Burt and Hal I thought they were both pretty cool guys,” she says, “and they were writing all this great music.”
Dionne has always radiated sheer class and elegant charisma from the stage and remains passionate about performing.
The mother-of-two has worked with both her sons, David and Damon Elliot, on different projects over the years and she was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame two years ago.
Now Dionne is looking forward to returning to the UK and promises that her eagerly awaited concerts will be packed with everyone’s favourite songs from the last 50 years.
“There will be all the highlights of my career and I am happy to sing what audiences expect me to do,” she says. “I would never leave the songs out.”
Dionne is certainly musical royalty and became the first African-American woman to perform for Queen Elizabeth II in 1968 – she also picked up her first Grammy award the same year for Do You Know The Way To San Jose.
She sang the theme song on 1960s movie Valley Of The Dolls and even featured as one of the famous “aliens” shown on TV monitors in the film Men In Black.
More recently Dionne has been recording a new album produced by Phil Ramone and featuring new material from her long-time friend, icon and composer Burt.
“My voice has changed and grown stronger over the years,” she says and her forthcoming live shows promise to be scintillating, soothing and sensual with the Royal Albert Hall seeing her distinctive vocals complemented by an orchestral accompaniment.
After all, Dionne’s voice has been a cornerstone of pop music and culture for 50 years and few people will walk on by and miss the chance to hear her perform live.
She once said: “My songs are like my children. I love every single one of them.”
Dionne Warwick will sing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday followed by dates at St David’s Hall in Cardiff, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Glasgow Armadillo and Gateshead Sage. Go to seetickets.com/tour/dionnewarwick for booking details.