Dionne Warwick

A soul legend with a velvet smooth delivery, Dionne Warwick helped turn her gospel and R&B roots into some of the finest pop music of her era. Learning to sing at her local Baptist church in New Jersey, Warwick occasionally performed with gospel group The Drinkard Singers (whom her mother managed) before being discovered by Burt Bacharach while recording backing vocals for The Drifters with her group The Gospelaires. It was the start of a hugely successful partnership which saw Bacharach and lyricist Hal David pen the hits Anyone Who Had A Heart, Message For Michael, I Say A Little Prayer and Warwick's classic signature tune Walk On By. Established alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Diana Ross as one of the great female soul singers, Warwick scored the hit albums Here Where The Love Is (1966), Valley Of The Dolls (1968), Dionne (1979), Heartbreaker (1982) and Friends (1985) and went on to win five Grammy Awards. She had a US chart topper in 1974 with Then Came You and again in 1985 with the charity collaboration That's What Friends Are For, featuring Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight. She now lives in Brazil.