Born Marie Dionne Warrick on December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, she started singing gospel as a very young girl at the New Hope Methodist Church in East Orange. Dionne sang her first solo at six years old. Dionne’s mother, Lee Drinkard Warrick, was the manager of the family gospel group and RCA recording artists The Drinkard Singers in East Orange, New Jersey. Dionne regularly appeared with The Drinkard Singers. Dionne’s aunt Emily (Cissy) Drinkard Houston and Dionne’s sister Delia (Dee Dee) Warrick also performed with the group.
Dionne first appeared on local television shows with the Drinkard Singers in the late 1950’s. In 1958, Dionne, Myrna Utley, and Carol Slade, along with Dionne’s sister Delia (known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick) formed their own group called the “The Gospelaires”. Their first performance together was at the world famous Apollo Theatre, where they won the weekly amateur contest. It was after the Apollo appearance that the The Gospelaires started doing background vocals for artists such as The Drifters, Ben E. King, Dinah Washington and Solomon Burke, among others.
While performing background on The Drifters’ recording of “Mexican Divorce”, Dionne’s voice and star presence were noticed by the song’s composer Burt Bacharach, a Brill Building songwriter who was writing songs with many other songwriters including Hal David. According to a July 14, 1967 article on Dionne from Time magazine Bacharach stated, “She has a tremendous strong side and a delicacy when singing softly—like miniature ships in bottles.” Dionne was signed to Scepter Records in 1962 by Greenberg along with Bacharach and David as producers. Dionne’s first album, Presenting Dionne Warwick
In 1967, Dionne earned her first RIAA Gold Single for US sales of over one million units for the single “I Say a Little Prayer” from her album The Windows of the World
Burt Bacharach & Dionne Warwick. “Walk on By”. “I Say a Little Prayer”. “Do You Know the Way to San Jose ?”.
