She was born Marie Dionne Warwick on December 12, 1940 and she is an American singer, actress and talk show presenter. According to Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles list, Warwick is one of the top 40 most successful artists in the United States between 1955 and 1999.
At the height of the rock era, she was the second most frequently featured female singer on the charts (1955–1999). She is also one of the most charted singers of all time, with 80 singles (solo or in collaboration) reaching the Hot 100, R&B, or adult contemporary charts (with 12 reaching the Top Ten). According to Billboard’s list of the “Greatest Artists of All Time,” Dionne comes in at number 74%.
She has won numerous honors over her career, including six Grammys, and has had more than 100 million recordings sold throughout the world. Warwick is a member of the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame, the R&B Music Hall of Fame, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2019. Walk On By, Alfie, and Don’t Make Me Over are only three of her songs that have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. She formerly served as a Goodwill Ambassador for FAO of the United Nations.
Early Life of Dionne Warwick
Marie Dionne Warrick, later Warwick, was born to Lee Drinkard and Mancel Warrick in East Orange, New Jersey. Her parents were both musicians; her mother managed the Drinkard Singers, and her father worked as a chef, record promoter, and certified public accountant at the Pullman. Dionne takes her aunt’s name from her mother’s side of the family. Delia (“Dee Dee”), her sister, passed away in 2008, and Mancel Jr., her brother, was murdered in a car accident when he was 21 years old in 1968. Both of her parents are African-American, and she also descends from Native Americans and the Dutch.
She spent some time as a Girl Scout and grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. Warwick attended the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut after graduating from East Orange High School in 1959. She was able to secure work with her band by offering her vocals as a backup singer for a few New York City recording sessions. At one point, Warwick was recording demos for Burt Bacharach, who had recruited her to sing songs he and Hal David had composed. In time, she was able to secure a record deal for herself.
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How Old is Dionne Warwick?
Dionne Warwick is 81 years old. She was born on 12 December 1994. She is a famous actor, singer and talk show host.
Dionne Warwick’s Career
The Drinkard Singers, comprised of many members of Warwick’s family, was a popular gospel group in the New York area and RCA recording artists. Warwick’s great-grandparents, Nicholas and Delia Drinkard, and their children, William (Warwick’s father), Lee (Warwick’s mother) and Hansom, joined the original group of Cissy, Anne, Larry, and Nicky, who was known as the Drinkard Jubilairs. Dionne Warwick had her first appearance on television as a performer on the TV Gospel Time episode in which the Drinkard Singers appeared.
Lee oversaw the operation while Marie provided direction. Lee and Marie joined the band as it gained popularity, and pop/R&B vocalist Judy Clay, whom Lee had adopted informally, joined as well. Elvis Presley showed interest in adding them to his touring group down the line. Dionne’s first experience with gospel music came at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she sang as a child.
Who is Dionne Warwick’s ex-husband?
He was an American actor and jazz musician by the name of William David Elliott. His recurring roles include Otis Foster on Bridget Loves Bernie and Officer Gus Grant on Adam-12. Change of Habit, an Elvis Presley film from 1969, featured his acting as well.
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Conversations about your Private Life
Warwick married actor and percussionist William Elliott in 1966, but they later split up in May of the same year. They had a second wedding in Milan, Italy in August 1967 after reconciling. Her first son, David Elliott, was born on January 18, 1969, in East Orange, New Jersey.
Damon Elliott was her second son and he was born in 1973. Warwick filed for divorce in Los Angeles in December 1975, following the couple’s separation on May 30, 1975. Elliott asked the court for $2,000 per month (or $10,100 in 2021) in spousal support pending a community property trial, but the judge ruled against him.
Elliott claimed he was only making $500 per month, while Warwick earned $100,000 (or $504,000) per month. The breadwinner, as Warwick put it, was me. Male pride is easily damaged. Being the sole provider can be challenging for women. My dad has been the only man in my life to provide for me financially. My own needs have always come first.
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