Déjà Vu
At nearly 70, the unstoppable music legend Dionne Warwick is busier than ever as she takes the stage of the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena this month.
By Kirk Silsbee 06/01/2010
You could be a good singer from now ’til hell and back and if you haven’t got material, you’re just standing there with your mouth open. You’ll be singing commercial jingles for the rest of your life. —Mama Cass Elliott
All the legendary popular singers had signature songs: Try to imagine Judy Garland without Over the Rainbow, Billie Holiday without Strange Fruit or Elvis without Love Me Tender.
Most singers are lucky if they can find one song the public identifies them with. Dionne Warwick is inextricably linked to an entire songbook, one that defied yet also defined the musical marketplace of the 1960s. The Beatles may have turned pop music into rock music, but the songs of Warwick’s creative team of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David provided the switched-on decade with thoughtful popular songs for grown-ups.
Bacharach and David had enjoyed pop success with other singers both before and during their collaboration with Warwick, chalking up such hits as Any Day Now with Chuck Jackson, It’s Not Unusual sung by Tom Jones and What the World Needs Now, immortalized by Jackie DeShannon. But the songs they wrote for Warwick, who comes to the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena on June 13, stand on their own. The classically trained Bacharach often crafted difficult melodies. David brought spare and potent lyrics to those unorthodox tunes. But Warwick made those demanding songs sound as natural and facile as nursery rhymes.
The result made music history: Warwick logged 56 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 Charts from 1962 through 1998. According to Billboard Magazine, that made her the 20th most popular artist of the rock era (1955 to 1999), topped only by Aretha Franklin as the most popular female vocalist. Along the way, she won five Grammy Awards and nabbed seven more nominations. And three of her hits – Don’t Make Me Over, Walk On By and Alfie – were honored with Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.
A New Jersey native, Warwick began singing 62 years ago at age 7, nurtured by her Methodist congregational choir. She graduated to the Drinkard Singers, a traveling East Coast gospel ensemble. At a Drifters recording date, Bacharach spotted Warwick in a background chorus. A trial recording in 1962 for the tiny Scepter label, Don’t Make Me Over, alerted the company that someone special was on the scene.
It was a tremendously fertile artistic ménage à trois that lasted until 1970. After the success of Don’t Make Me Over and Walk On By, her extraordinary vocal and interpretive prowess deeply influenced Bacharach and David’s writing process. There were other fine pop singers of the day, but none could have invested those songs with Warwick’s light touch.
In 1969, Bacharach told broadcast journalist John Gilliland, “I think of Dionne and what she’s going to sound like on certain notes. We cut songs for Dionne out of fine material, tailor-make songs for her.” A great pop auteur, Bacharach wrote, arranged and produced his music. Yet Warwick could add an extra, almost mystical, element, to a recording. “She is marvelous on a date because she’s a very free performer,” he said. “Something magical just happens — the excitement with the band is there and she just catches on fire.”
Warwick’s subsequent career proved that she could successfully work outside of the Bacharach-David vernacular. Then Came You with the Spinners (1974), Déjà Vu by Isaac Hayes and Adrienne Anderson (’79), Heartbreaker (’82) and How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (’83) led up to That’s What Friends Are For, a number one hit in 1985. She was also honored with a special feature spot in that year’s all-star recording of We Are the World.
Orange County jazz pianist Peggy Duquesnel, who played keyboards in Warwick’s band from 1996 to 1998, recalls that period with fondness. “Dionne had a very natural way with the audience, telling little stories, and her singing was so musical,” she says. “She had a great respect for the songwriters, and that came through in performance. It was an honor to work for her.”
After decades of performing, Warwick still keeps up a demanding touring schedule. A divorced mother of two now based in Brazil, she recently took time to reflect on her art and career.
How did gospel training impact your later work?
My family and the Drinkard Singers gave me everything I know today.
They were my biggest influences.
Were there any advantages to launching your recording career on a small label like Scepter?
I always referred to Scepter as “the biggest little label,” and my time there was like a true family affair.
While you sang with Bacharach and David, there were other strong pop writers and teams working. Were you ever interested in singing with Goffin & King, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Brian Wilson or Jimmy Webb, if only for a short time?
In the beginning of my recording career, most of those other writers were writing for either themselves or for artists connected with other labels. I was joined at the hip to my two composers and there was no need to look for outside writers.
In June 1967, you were slated to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival — the first rock festival ever — but had to miss it because of a scheduling conflict. Have you thought that an appearance at Monterey might have broadened your audience?
In 1967, my audience was already as young as I was. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to be at the festival.
Some of the Bacharach-David songs have built-in challenges, like the octave jumps and breath control necessary for singing long lines. Does the quality of the song override its demands or are there some songs you’d prefer to leave on the shelf?
All of the Bacharach-David melodies sound a lot easier to sing than they actually are. But I treat every song that I’ve recorded like I treat my own children, and there’s no way I’d ever put one of them on the shelf.
What do you look for in a song?
I look for a lyric I feel comfortable with, something that I can relay to the listener’s ear. And, of course, a melody that will linger with the listener.
Where do you look for material?
Fortunately, songs are submitted to me; I receive many songs from many different people. I’ve long felt since the departure of the Bacharach-David team that you never know where a song will come from.
Other than singing scales, how do you keep your voice in shape?
I don’t sing scales or warm up. The audience and I find out at the same time if there’s a voice to be heard when I come onto the stage!
How often do you like to work these days?
Well, it seems as though I’m working 24/7. I love what I do, so I have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
Do you see differences in domestic and foreign audiences?
I am truly blessed in that all of my audiences are equally responsive around the world.
What are your present artistic challenges and do you have any immediate goals?
No artistic challenges, but for goals, I’d say the Oscar, the Emmy and the Tony would be nice. And they don’t have to come in that particular order!
Dionne Warwick Under the Stars, benefiting Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena, is scheduled for 8 p.m. June 13 at the Levitt Pavilion in Memorial Park, North Raymond Avenue and East Holly Street, Pasadena. Ticket prices range from $40 to $75. Visit levittpavilionpasadena.org.
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