Dionne Warwick made her singing debut in church at the
request of her grandfather, the Reverend Elzae Warrick, when
she was six years old. No one knew then that she would
become an international music legend, but what she knew—as
words of wisdom passed down from her grandfather—was that
"if you can think it, you can do it." And she did it. Dionne
released the first of more than fifty-six charted hits in
1962 with "Don’t Make Me Over," followed by "Anyone Who Had
a Heart," "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie,"
and "A House Is Not a Home," to name a few. She received her
first Grammy in 1968 for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"
and later recorded the classic hit "That’s What Friends Are
For." She was considered the voice of Burt Bacharach/Hal
David compositions, and the rest is here, in her first
autobiography. Dionne tells the stories of her life from her
childhood in East Orange, New Jersey, in a two-family home
with her parents, brother, and sister, to now, as she
celebrates her fiftieth year in show business.
She came by her musical gifts honestly. Her mother, Lee
Drinkard Warrick, was a founding member of the legendary
Drinkard Jubilairs, which included her mother’s siblings
Cissy, Marie, Annie, Nick, and Larry. Cissy went on to
become a celebrated recording artist in her own right; she
lived in the Warrick household, got married, and later gave
birth to one of the most popular singers of our time,
Whitney Houston. Dionne went on to start her own gospel
group with her sister, Dee Dee, called the Gospelaires. Her
father, once a Pullman porter, became an accountant, went on
to promote gospel records for Hob Records, and wrote a book
on gospel music. She attributes her strong family, who are
faithful and industrious Christians, for keeping her
grounded and giving her the fortitude, as well as the
talent, to earn her place among world-class performing
artists without losing herself or her soul.
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