Marie Dionne Warrick, whose name she later changed to Warwick, was born in Orange, New Jersey, on December 12, 1940, to Mancel Warrick and Lee Drinkard. Her family has always loved music. Her mother was the manager of the Drinkard Sisters, a well-known gospel singing group. The Drinkard Sisters were made up of many of Warrick’s family members. Her dad was a record promoter, a chef, a CPA, and a railroad porter. Delia was Dionne’s sister, and Mancel Jr. was her brother. She was a Girl Scout when she was young.
Dionne started singing gospel as a child in Newark, New Jersey, at the New Hope Baptist Church. In 1959, she graduated from East Orange High School and went to West Hartford, Connecticut, to attend Hartt College of Music. She met Burt Bacharach at a recording session, and he hired her to record demos of songs he wrote with Hal David.
The late singer Whitney Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, is Dionne’s maternal aunt.
Dionne Warwick Professional Life
Burt Bacharach heard Dionne’s voice and star quality when she was singing in the background for the Drifters’ song “Mexican Divorce.” Bacharach and Hal David signed Warwick to their production company, which was then signed to Scepter Records in 1962 by Florence Greenberg, the head of the record label. “Don’t Make Me Over” was her first single as a solo artist. It came out in November 1962 on Scepter Records. The single’s label misspelled Dionne’s name, so she started using the new spelling (i.e., “Warwick”). She then released “The Empty Place.” One of her most famous songs, “Wishing and Hopin’,” was on the B side. Warwick’s first top 10 hit was “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” In April 1964, she put out the song “Walk On By,” which was a big hit all over the world.
From the middle of the 1960s to the early 1970s, Warwick had a string of hits, including “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,” “Message to Michael,” “Alfie,” and “Trains, Boats, and Planes.” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” was a Top 10 hit in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Mexico, among other countries. More hits followed, such as “Who Is Gonna Love Me,” “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” and “Promises, Promises.” “This girl is crazy about you,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “I will never love again,” “Let Me Go to Him,” “Make It Easy on Yourself,” and “Paper Mache.”
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In 1971, Warwick left Scepter Records and signed a $5 million contract with Warner Bros. Records. At the time, this was the best recording contract ever given to a female vocalist. Except for “Then Came You” in 1974, there were no big hits in the beginning and middle of the decade. Warwick made five albums for Warner before moving to Arista Records in 1979. There, she had another string of hits that lasted until the late 1980s, including “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” “How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye,” and the 1985 AmFAR single “That’s What Friends Are For,” which she recorded with Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder.
During the 1990s, Warwick was the host of infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network. Linda Georgian, who called herself a psychic, was one of the people in the ads. From 1991 to 1998, people could call the 900 number to talk to a psychic. Press releases from the 1990s say that the show was the most successful infomercial for several years and that Warwick made more than $3 million per year as the network’s spokesperson.
Who Is Dionne Warwick’s Husband?
In 1966, Dionne got married to actor William David Elliott. They split up in May 1967. In August 1967, they got married again in Milan, Italy. David, their first child, was born in January 1969. Damon, their second son, was born in 1973. Bill and Dionne split up in December 1975.
In 2002, Warwick was caught with marijuana at the Miami International Airport. She was accused of hiding 11 marijuana cigarettes in a lipstick case in her carry-on bag. She was charged with having less than five grams of marijuana on her.
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What Is Dionne Warwick’s Net Worth?
The American singer, actress, and TV host Dionne Warwick has a net worth of $300,000. Warwick was also the United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United States Ambassador of Health.
Dionne’s net worth used to be much higher, and at one point it was even a loss of $10 million. Dionne has had money problems on and off over the past few years. She filed for personal bankruptcy in 2013. At that time, she told a court that she had less than $25,000 in assets and more than $10 million in debt. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” are two of Warwick’s most well-known songs.