DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

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ron hertel
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Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:08 pm

DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by ron hertel »

Birthday Greetings DIONNE as you celebrate your 72nd Birthday and your 50th year of recording and entertaining!
gillanddon
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Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by gillanddon »

A brilliant year! All the best for many more Dionne!
gillanddon
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Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:54 am

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by gillanddon »

I sadly have to note zero response to Dionne Warwick's birthday (and 50th anniversary in song) on this site apart from Ron Hertel and myself. It's to be understood, as it's Burt Bacharach's homepage and I'm begining to question why I'm on it! However, I think it is Dionne who brought Burt Bacharach and Hal David's 60's fabulous songs to the forefront of contemporary music and there should be a little bit more respect shown to her on this site. I know this as I heard Dionne's voice first and then Burt and Hal and Dionne's 'sound' later. Seriously, I wouldn't have picked up on the sound without her. I remember the exact moment over a crackly radio in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, when this extraordinary voice came over the airways and has never let me down since, Burt and Hal or otherwise.

Dionne has singularly and unceasingly promoted the works of these two great men, Burt and Hal David, in all her recordings and appearances over the past 50 years with really very little credit back from even the great maesto himself .. the man who sold 'her' great songs down the line to the likes of Cilla Black here in the UK etc. I know Hal David was always respectful of Dionne but I think Burt thought anyone with a voice could sing his songs but I think he was wrong ... only Dionne can interpret them in that unique way. A flat tone seemed to instantly emerge with even the greatest arisits tackling Burt's songs. Steve Wright said the other day on BBC Radio 2 ' what is it about Dionne? You wait for it, and there is always a 'catch' in her voice and she never let's you down, you're caught from the opening bars'. Dionne does this effortlessly with just about every song she has in front of her, not just the Bacharach and David catalogue. Contributors to this site can't seem to see Dionne beyond the Bacharach/ David years and seem to have lost interest in her succes after that. Maybe I'm on the wrong site?
Bruce Bernard Williams
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 12:37 pm
Location: Tulsa

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by Bruce Bernard Williams »

Hi gillanddon, My sentiments exactly! I've been a fan of Dionne's since '62 but what really did it for me were the three (3) songs in a row on side one of "Make Way For Dionne Warwick": "(They Long To Be) Close To You", "The Land Of Make Believe", and "The Last One To Be Loved", the latter being a cover of the original Lou Johnson's. Her other covers of Jerry Butler's "Message To Martha", "Make It Easy On Yourself", Tommy Hunt's "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", and one of my favorites, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas' "Trains, Boats, And Planes" brought a level of depth and intrigue that wasn't apparent on those originals. I could go on and on but I will take the time to say this: Happy Birthday Dionne and congratulations on your 50 year anniversary in the music industry!
blueonblue
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Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by blueonblue »

Hi gillanddon, you're absolutely right....we owe Dionne a great debt....thanks Dionne !
IMHO "Walk On By" is the greatest pop song ever made..............
I remember exactly where I was when I first it....great songs have a way of doing that.
You mentioned that this is Burt's home page.........it wouldn't have existed without Dionne.
Happy birthday Dionne, and thank you to Ron for posting this thread.

"blue"
Gill, you're not on the wrong site.
.
face
Posts: 97
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by face »

I found the silence here about Dionne's new CD to be rather curious, especially since it's such a Bacharach celebration as well, but I just chalked it up to the fact that some people hadn't bought it yet. However, enough time has passed now that I'm just thinking that folks aren't all that interested in discussing latter day Dionne, except for the occasional post lamenting how her voice has changed over the years. Kinda sad.

Nonetheless, I would REALLY enjoy hearing from some of you about what the public response was to Dionne's songs back in the early days. Sadly, I was born much too late to know! When a song like "Walk On By" hit the radio waves, did it create a lot of buzz from the average listener? Did deejays and other figures point out how fresh and different it was? How about "Anyone Who Had Heart"? Was the release of a new Dionne song a "really big deal"? I can't imagine there wasn't a lot of talk about these songs, as they were such a departure from what was on the radio back then. Finally, I just have to know: was Dionne ever viewed as a sex symbol, or was it always just about the voice? The svelte body, the high cheekbones, the designer gowns, the prominent nostrils and teeth--I imagine she wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I could also see how she would drive others to distraction. I would love it if some of you could recreate the early public response to Dionne for a youngster like me!
GehVorbei

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by GehVorbei »

Dionne's official Facebook Group has more than 36000 members now - compared to the couple of dozens here. So I posted my birthday wishes there this year and probably some of you did the same.

No constant character slurs on Dionne and her family there. No nastiness about her recordings from the post-BB/HD era. No "I-wish-she-would-have-died-40-years-ago" attitude...Just a lot of very friendly and enthusiastic fans, most of them probably under 30.
Jerry
Posts: 152
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Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by Jerry »

Hi, all-

Have not been here in a number of days, so I did not have the opportunity to post birthday wishes to the great Dionne Warwick. thank-You for speaking out gillanddon!

incidentally, one of my local radio stations-on the AM dial-in Philly played Ms. Warwick every half-hour the other day in honor of her b'day! if you want to check out 1480 AM WDAS on the web, i would encourage you. They not only do honor to D.W., but to other underplayed artists like The Fifth Dimension, Chuck Jackson, Lou Johnson, Johnny Mathis, as well as, the great funk, R 'n' B and soul artists from the 1950's to early 1980's.

In any event, it is great to hear SOMEONE playing Dionne on the live airwaves!
gillanddon
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Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by gillanddon »

It's really great to read everyone's in put about Dionne Warwick's birthday etc To answer your question 'face'. Dionne was very big, to quote Bachto Bacharach, the biggest female recording artist for a certain period in the 60's and I think early 70's. BachtoBacharach is excellent in his detailed knowledge of her success during this period. The release of one of her songs wasn't always a huge event as there were so many on each album but the songs moved in quietly and many moved straight into the charts. Dionne has always been a stunning looking woman, fabulous and sexy. As Burt and Hal discovered early on, she has an elegance about her ... absolutely classy appeal ... you can see that on her vast collection of works on you tube etc and is immediately evident in her live performances. I could go on for hours .... she has a Malene Dietrich type of appeal which can occasionally come over as a haughtiness but it only seems to add to her charisma and glamour .. altho' more recently she comes across as more warm and loving generally and not quite so formidable.
Yes GehVorbei I agree, her official facebook page, the one with the new photo from 'Now' is great! Whoever is managing it for her is always completely up to date on everything she is doing. It's actually more informative than her website.
blueonblue
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Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:22 am

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by blueonblue »

The Greatest..........


"blue"
gillanddon
Posts: 224
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:54 am

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by gillanddon »

Wow! I havn't seen that before Blue ... stunning!
face
Posts: 97
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by face »

gillanddon wrote:It's really great to read everyone's in put about Dionne Warwick's birthday etc To answer your question 'face'. Dionne was very big, to quote Bachto Bacharach, the biggest female recording artist for a certain period in the 60's and I think early 70's. BachtoBacharach is excellent in his detailed knowledge of her success during this period. The release of one of her songs wasn't always a huge event as there were so many on each album but the songs moved in quietly and many moved straight into the charts. Dionne has always been a stunning looking woman, fabulous and sexy. As Burt and Hal discovered early on, she has an elegance about her ... absolutely classy appeal ... you can see that on her vast collection of works on you tube etc and is immediately evident in her live performances. I could go on for hours .... she has a Malene Dietrich type of appeal which can occasionally come over as a haughtiness but it only seems to add to her charisma and glamour .. altho' more recently she comes across as more warm and loving generally and not quite so formidable.
Yes GehVorbei I agree, her official facebook page, the one with the new photo from 'Now' is great! Whoever is managing it for her is always completely up to date on everything she is doing. It's actually more informative than her website.
Thanks, Gillanddon. I'm pretty well-schooled on her achievements and status as the top lady of the 60s (with Aretha), but what I'm looking for is more of an "every man" account of her stardom in those days. For example, Whitney was the most celebrated female singer of my childhood, and I can recall how ordinary adults and people my age spoke of her with such awe and reverence. Everyone talked about her range, power, strength, beauty ... she was held up as the standard for everyone else. When she released an album, it was big news and much discussed. When she was going to appear on TV, people made sure to watch. Little girls and aspiring singers everywhere tried to be like her and sing her songs. Did people speak of Dionne the same way back in the 60s? If not, what role did she fill in the public's eye? Did everyone rush to the TV set when she made an appearance on a variety show? Did people measure other singers against her? Did little girls want to sing like her? I don't know if I'm making sense, but I'm just trying to figure out what it was like to have Dionne Warwick as a current superstar.
Bruce Bernard Williams
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 12:37 pm
Location: Tulsa

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by Bruce Bernard Williams »

Hi face, I really appreciate and understand your interests in Dionne's career. Like I've mentioned before, I have been an avid fan of hers since 1962. I remember when the late, great Johnny Carson was the host of NBC's "The Tonight Show", every time a new single of hers was released, she would make an appearance on the show singing that new single. Johnny just loved her as well as his audience! Also, the same held true for her appearances on a show called "Hullaballoo"! She was top-billed on concerts presented by a NYC disc jockey named "Murray The K"-one of the WMCA Good Guys. Each and every Scepter single release was greeted by the radio-listening audience with great anticipation and enthusiasm! A DJ in my hometown of OKC nicknamed "Big Ben" of KBYE, absolutely loved her and would always refer to her as the Delightfully Different Dionne Warwick. She would also pop in from time to time at the Sam Goody's Record Store when it was at the corner of 43rd & 3rd. The eminent Marlene Dietrich introduced her to the Olympia audience in Paris in 1963 where she duetted with the great Sacha Distel and everyone fell in love with her immediately! Yes, face, she was HUGE in the sixties! I was one of many who would rush out and buy her latest 45 the day it hit Herbie's Record Mart on the then Eastern Ave.
ron hertel
Posts: 481
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:08 pm

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by ron hertel »

Like you Bruce - I have been one of Dionne's biggest supporters since 1962 - always looking forward to her latest single and album releases. .... My friends and family members considered me to be her "most loyal follower" (they still do!). Back in the 60's they always would alert me to her upcoming television appearances since I was a full time college student with little time to read TV Guide. ....... Somehow - I managed to stay on top of all of her record releases - When it came to purchasing Warwick LP's - I always splurged and bought the stereo versions of her albums which cost $1.00 more than the mono recordings of those albums ($3.98 for stereo vs. $2.98 for the mono recordings). ........... One of my biggest disappointments was when her mid 60's single release of "Looking With My Eyes" (an all-time favorite BB/HD/DW record of mine) fell off the charts after a week or so! I concluded at that time that so many of their recordings were just too sophisticated for the casual listener to appreciate.
blueonblue
Posts: 1540
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:22 am

Re: DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

Post by blueonblue »

Hi Ron,
Here's the song you mentioned, complete with one of Burt Bacharach's most complex
"brainstorming" arrangements.........a lost treasure !


"blue"
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