Intimate Portrait

Dionne Warwick (11x21)

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Dionne Warwick: Speaking Volumes Dionne Warwick was born on December 12, 1941, in East Orange, New Jersey. Her household was filled with music, and as a girl, she joined her church choir. By the time she entered her teens, Warwick was appearing on TV as part of another gospel choir. Before long, she was performing as a backup singer for the likes of Dinah Washington and Ray Charles. In 1962, the 21-year-old began churning out international hits, such as ""Don't Make Me Over,"" by pairing up with powerhouse songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In 1963, she fell in love with drummer-turned-actor Bill Elliot; the volatile pair married and divorced twice over a 12-year period. While the singer's personal life was shaky professionally, the chart-busters she wrote with Bacharach and David kept coming, as did her first Grammy Award, for ""Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"" in 1968. Warwick made her screen debut in 1969 opposite Ozzie Davis in ""Slaves."" After filming wrapped, she gave birth