spotlight
One of the very first record album labels I remember spinning around on a
turntable was black, white and red. I remember being fascinated at the sound of
the voice coming out of the speakers. The label was Scepter Records… the voice
was Dionne Warwick. I was about 3 and Dionne Warwick was causing a sensation
for the label and as the voice of songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1964.
For those who need reminding, she was able to transcend race, culture and cross
the lines musically for everyone at that time as she swirled through pop, gospel,
rhythm and blues and soul with such a natural and beautiful flair. About those
early days at the Scepter label, Warwick briefly reminisced, “Scepter record days
were wonderful… I got a chance to meet and become friends with the roster at
Scepter, The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, Tommy Hunt, The Isley Brothers, B.J. Thomas
and Maxie (Maxine) Brown.”
Now if some of those names don’t ring a bell, you may realize how hard it was to
maintain a long-lasting career in the music industry. But don’t let that fool you as
the roster at Scepter Records at the time was a who’s who of groove that brought
the label much success. Dionne Warwick’s very first hit was “Don’t Make Me Over.”
Her manager at the time took the young artist to Paris where, being introduced
by film star and icon Marlene Dietrich for her concert, Warwick performed and
wowed the Paris audiences. One reviewer at the time, Jean Monteaux in Arts
wrote, “The play of this voice makes you think sometimes of an eel, of a storm,
of a cradle, a knot of seaweed, a dagger. It is not a voice so much as an organ. You
could write fugues for Warwick’s voice.” Her continued success with the team of
Bacharach/David brought more and more hits. Her songs speak of a time when
love songs were the norm and the reality of the lyrics and individuality of the
music brought forth “Walk On By” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart” in addition to
a personal favorite of mine called “You’ll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My
Heart).” It seems today that the love song has all but disappeared off the Billboard
100 Hit Chart. Warwick simply stated when I asked about this, “It’s the sign of the
This Way Again,” and “Déjà Vu,” bringing her Grammy Awards for each and making
times and the artists of today.” It seems that the simple emotion of love is being
Warwick the very first recording artist to win in both Best Female Pop and Best
swept under the rug and yet during the years spanning 1963 to 1966, Warwick
Female R&B Performance Awards.
achieved twelve consecutive Top 100 hits in addition to many others hitting the
More recently in 2006, Warwick released a phenomenal selection of her great-
charts at that time.
est hits with a twist. That twist was titled My Friends and Me. On the Concord label,
A large part in the sweep of Dionne Warwick’s career is also attributed to her
she performed with many of the artists who gained respect in the industry for
vocals for many popular American motion pictures during the mid-to-late 1960s.
their enduring talent. She replied, “My son Damon Elliott produced the CD and it
Her recordings of classic motion picture themes such as “The April Fools” and
was easy since all represented on the CD are friends.” Artists such as Gloria Estefan,
“Alfie” were pioneering as the film genre shifted to a more in-depth look at the
Olivia Newton-John, Wynonna Judd and Reba McEntire bring their own special
foibles of relationships and the modernization of society. One monumental song
magic to a Dionne Warwick standard.
that brought her additional mainstream success was “The Theme from The Val-
It seems that Dionne Warwick is like a vintage Cabernet Sauvignon. Her voice
ley of the Dolls.” With its haunting lyrics of “When did I stop feeling sure, feeling
now has a richness and subtlety that sings with a wisdom of maturity and grace. In
safe? And start wondering why, wondering why? Is this a dream, am I here, where
closing, I asked her, “When you are not singing, what brings you the greatest hap-
are you? What’s in back of the sky, why do we cry?” the song was one of her very
piness?” As gracious and world-famous as she is, her simple reply was “Being with
first hits not written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was almost a song that
family and my grandchildren.” Dionne Warwick is truly a great lady of American
she didn’t record. Warwick adds, “Barbara Parkins (actress and star of Valley of
popular song.
the Dolls) suggested me to the producers and to Andre and Dory [Previn]” who
composed the song. The result? The song was one of the biggest double-sided DiD You KNoW? DioNNe WArWicK fAcTS:
hits of the rock era. What was on the other side of that 45 LP record? A little ditty
called “I Say a Little Prayer!” WARWICK HAS NEARLY 60-CHARTED HIT SONGS SINCE HER DEBUT IN 1962.
The 1970s would continue to bring accolades for Ms. Warwick. Yet, there was a
time during that decade that she felt no one would want her as a singer of popular SHE RECEIVED HER VERY FIRST OF FIVE GRAMMYS FOR “DO YOU KNOW THE WAY
songs any longer. Dionne Warwick had reached a point where she didn’t believe TO SAN JOSE?”
she was a recording artist anymore. Her lack of self-esteem and this frightfully
wrong notion was instantly rebuffed by record producer Clive Davis. He brought WINNING HER VERY FIRST GRAMMY, DIONNE WARWICK BECAME THE FIRST
her to his Arista label in 1976. I asked Ms. Warwick about the importance of Clive AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLO ARTIST OF HER GENERATION TO DO SO.
Davis to her career. “Clive is a friend and a consummate ‘record man.’ He believed
in me and being with Arista was a great experience.” This creative outlet at Arista IN 1968, WARWICK BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE TO APPEAR
brought even more success for Warwick with hit songs such as “I’ll Never Love BEFORE THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND.
68 RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2008
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