THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
October 18, 2002
Field Museum of Natural History
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States
This one hour one-on-one interview program provided a rare look into the life and times of Dionne Warwick. Taped in Chicago in front of a live audience, singer Warwick was interviewed by her friend, actress and entertainer, Diahann Carroll. Warwick is one of the most celebrated vocal artists of the past fifty years. With more than fifty hit singles and twenty albums, the artist that bridged the gap climbed to the top of the charts more than any other female entertainer during this time. Throughout her illustrious career, Warwick has combined her exceptional talents as a singer with a deep personal commitment to social activism. Her humanitarian efforts to further AIDS research and education have earned Warwick the respect of millions around the world.
An Evening With Dionne Warwick provided an inside look into and explored the wonderfully unique life of Dionne Warwick. Using clips of performances and newsreel footage, An Evening with Dionne Warwick told the story of this living legend.
Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on December 12, 1940. The oldest of three siblings, Warwick was raised in a deeply religious and musical family. At fourteen, Warwick helped form The Gospelaires. In 1959, Warwick received a music scholarship to the University of Hartford. Warwick signed a recording contract in 1962 and her first single, “Don’t Make Me Over,” was a hit, attracting both R&B and pop audiences. From 1963 to 1966, Warwick achieved unprecedented success by becoming the first crossover artist to have a dozen consecutive Top 100 hits. In 1968, she became the first African American solo female artist to receive a Grammy Award, winning for her hit, “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.” By 1970, she had recorded thirty hit singles, close to twenty best-selling albums and received a second Grammy Award for the album I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.
Singer and actress Diahann Carroll was born in the Bronx, New York in 1935. Her beauty earned her modeling roles by the time she was a teenager. From there, she went on to roles in Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess. Carroll developed a relationship with Sidney Poitier on the set of Porgy and Bess, which continued off and on for the next decade. Carroll’s true breakthrough came with her being cast in the title role of the television series Julia, which garnered her an Emmy nomination in its first year on the air. Also, she had the honor of being the first African American to have her own TV series. Carroll continued to appear in films and on stage, both as an actress and singer to rave reviews. She also starred as Dominique Deveraux on TV’s Dynasty for three years. In 1995, Carroll achieved another first, becoming the first African American woman to play the role of Norma Desmond in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Sunset Boulevard.