Biography
Marie Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host.
Warwick is ranked among the top 40 U.S. hitmakers from 1955 to 1999, according to her Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart history. She is the second-most charted female vocalist of the rock era (1955–1999) and one of the most-charted vocalists overall, with 56 singles reaching the Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998 (including 12 Top Ten hits), and a total of 80 singles—solo or collaborative—appearing on the Hot 100, R&B, and/or adult contemporary charts. She holds the #74 spot on Billboard Hot 100's "Greatest Artists of All Time."
Throughout her career, Warwick has sold over 100 million records worldwide and earned numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the R&B Music Hall of Fame, and the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame. In 2019, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Three of her songs—"Walk On By," "Alfie," and "Don't Make Me Over"—have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Additionally, she served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
Born Marie Dionne Warrick in Orange, New Jersey, to Lee Drinkard and Mancel Warrick, her mother managed the Drinkard Singers. Her father worked as a Pullman porter, chef, record promoter, and CPA. Named after her maternal aunt, she had a sister, Delia ("Dee Dee"), who passed away in 2008, and a brother, Mancel Jr., who died in an accident in 1968 at age 21. Her parents were African American, and she also has Native American and Dutch roots.
Raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Warwick was a Girl Scout during her youth. After graduating from East Orange High School in 1959, she attended the Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut, to pursue her passion. She began working as a backing vocalist for recording sessions in New York City. During one session, she met Burt Bacharach, who hired her to record demos of songs he and lyricist Hal David wrote. This led to Warwick securing her own recording contract.
Many members of Warwick's family belonged to the Drinkard Singers, a family gospel group and RCA recording artists who performed frequently in the New York metropolitan area. The original ensemble, called the Drinkard Jubilaires, included Cissy, Anne, Larry, and Nicky, and later featured Warwick's grandparents Nicholas and Delia Drinkard, along with their children William, Lee (Warwick's mother), and Hansom. Dionne Warwick made her television debut performing with the Drinkard Singers on TV Gospel Time.
Marie led the group, which was managed by her mother Lee. As their success grew, both Lee and Marie performed with the group, joined by pop/R&B singer Judy Clay, whom Lee had unofficially adopted. Elvis Presley showed interest in including them in his touring entourage. Warwick began singing gospel as a child at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
11 wins and 12 nominations
