Warwick released her first ever single, “Don’t Make Me Over” in 1962. It was the top hit the following year after her release. There was an accidental typo on the record when it was published. The error stated “Dionne Warwick” instead of “Dionne Warrick”. Dionne decided to keep the new last name, Warwick. In 1964, Warwick had two singles that were on the Top 10 charts. These singles were “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Walk On By”, which was her first number one hit for the R&B genre. Both of these singles were penned by Bacharach and David.
Warwick received many more hits, including the many that were written by Bacharach and David. As the 1960’s progressed, Dionne’s song “Message to Michael” made it to the Top 10 charts in 1966 and her version of “I Say a Little Prayer” climbed to the number 4 spot the following year. She found great success with her contributions in movie soundtracks as well. The theme song for the film “Alfie” in 1967 that starred Michael Caine was a great success for Dionne Warwick. Additionally, “Valley of the Dolls” in 1968 was also a great success.
Warwick’s trademark tune “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” earned Dionne her very first Grammy Award. Within the same year, she made history as being the first African-American woman to perform for Queen Elizabeth II in England. In the 1990’s, Dionne began to encounter some challenges. During this time it was revealed that she had a claim against her for unpaid taxes. She was arrested in 2002, for possession of marijuana. Six years later, her sister, Dee Dee, passed away and her cousin, Whitney Houston passed away four years after her sister’s death. Despite the unfortunate events, Warwick continued to perform and record new music.
Warwick celebrated her 50th year in music with her album “Now” in 2012. The album features songs written by David and Bacharach. In March of 2013, Dionne’s personal life overshadowed her musical talents. She made the headlines of declaring she was experiencing bankruptcy. It was said that she owed $10 million in unpaid taxes, but she later corrected that statement with the correct claimed amount owed.