New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Grammy legend Dionne Warwick, known for classics such as "Don't Make Me Over," "Alfie," "
Walk On By" and "Do You Know The Way to San Jose," received top achievements last year. A major one being the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, where Debbie Allen, Cynthia Erivo,
Chloe Bailey, Ego Nwodim (who portrays the music legend in "The Dionne Warwick Show" skits on Saturday Night Live),country superstar
Mickey Guyton as well as The Spinners, the group with whom she recorded the #1 R&B/Pop hit "Then Came You," paid tribute to the New Jersey native.
This year, Ms. Warwick be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October, earning the Musical Influence Award. She acknowledges, "It is quite interesting that it's happening now, because I've been nominated a couple of times before, and now they've finally gotten it right!" Adding to her accolades, Ms. Warwick - who put the songs of Burt Bachrach and Hal
David on the musical map - will be honored by the Library of Congress later this year with the Gershwin Prize as a performer (the Bacharach/David team earned that honor years prior in the songwriters category).
Warwick, the consummate song stylist and performer, is recording new music. With matters such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other worldly issues, the singer has been working on inspirational songs for a new project that will be released this year. "It's what we need right now," states Ms. Warwick. "So much is going on and I know what music can do to help us move the conversation forward."
Making music with a message is familiar territory for the Grammy legend, as she rallied her friends Elton John,
Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight to record "That's What
Friends Are For" in 1986. This became the anthem for the HIV/AIDS rallying cry that brought the country together to destigmatize the disease. The song helped to raise awareness and raised millions for AIDS research.
With a monumental career that spans seven decades, Dionne Warwick shows no signs of slowing down - "It's a blessing in its own way. Things are not being given to me. I have earned them. But it's a wonderful thing indeed. They just aligned and I say, 'thank you.'"
