Dionne Warwick on the cover of her Christmas album My Favorite Time of the Year Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940 as Dionne Warrick) was an American singer, best known for her work with Hal David and Burt Bacharach as songwriters. She began singing gospel with her family. Her first solo single was 1962's "Don't Make Me Over"; her name was misspelled on the credits, and she soon began using the new spelling ("Warwick"). The song was a moderate hit, but the follow-ups were unsuccessful until 1964's "Anyone Who Had a Heart". This was followed by "Walk on By", a major hit in Britain.
Warwick weathered the British Invasion better than most American artists, and she released only a few minor hits in the late 1960s, most notably 1966's "Message to Michael". A 1967 LP called Here Where There Is Love became a big hit. Her next big hit was unusual in that was not written by Bacharach and David; "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls" was a smash success, as was the follow-up, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?". More hits and a few Grammies followed in the last two years of the 1960s. Her career slowed greatly in the 1970s, with no big hits until 1974's "Then Came You". A five-year hiatus ensued, ending with "I'll Never Love This Way Again", produced by Barry Manilow. The accompanying album, Dionne, was her first to go platinum.
Warwick's next hit was her 1982 full-length collaboration with the Bee Gees, Heartbreaker. In 1986, Warwick participated in the celebrity AIDS benefit single "That's What Friends Are For" with Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder; it was also a massive success.
Her career took a major downturn in the 1990s, with only a few moderate selling albums released and no major singles. During this period, she was perhaps best known for starring in infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network, a 900 number psychic service.
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