By Shannon Thomason
UAB News
Five-time Grammy Award-winning music legend Dionne Warwick will perform Friday, Nov. 10, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
Warwick is a cornerstone of American pop music and culture and an international music icon. She has earned more than 60 charted hit songs and sold more than 100 million records. Warwick was a permanent fixture on the charts in the ’60s with timeless hits like “A House Is Not a Home,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Walk on By” and “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” As part of an era that would forever change the course of the music industry, this iconic performer is known as the artist who “bridged the gap” with her soulful blend of pop, gospel and R&B music, which transcended race, culture and musical boundaries.
The show will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $76, $66 and $56. For tickets, call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
UAB faculty may purchase $25 tickets; a limited number of $25 tickets are available for most performances. UAB students may purchase $10 tickets. UAB student tickets must be purchased with valid student ID at the ASC Box Office. Limit one ticket per student, and a limited number of tickets are available for each show. Faculty and staff may receive a 20 percent discount on single tickets.
Warwick began singing professionally in 1961 after being discovered by young songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David, according to her artist’s bio. She had her first hit in 1962 with “Don’t Make Me Over.” Less than a decade later, she had released more than 18 consecutive Top 100 singles, including her classic Bacharach/David recordings “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Message to Michael,” “Promises Promises,” “Alfie,” “This Girl’s in Love With You,” “Reach Out For Me” and the theme from “Valley of the Dolls.” Warwick, and her songwriting team of Bacharach and David, racked up more than 30 hit singles and close to 20 best-selling albums during their first decade together.
Warwick received her first Grammy Award in 1968 for her mega-hit “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and a second Grammy in 1970 for the best-selling album “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” She became the first African-American solo female artist of her generation to win the prestigious award for Best Contemporary Female Vocalist Performance. This award was presented to only one other legend, Ella Fitzgerald.
Warwick was inducted into the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, where a special 50th anniversary exhibit was unveiled and a historic program and performance was hosted by Clive Davis, Burt Bacharach and Grammy Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli. In 2012, Warwick released a studio album commemorating her 50th anniversary, “Now,” produced by Phil Ramone and featuring special new material written by Bacharach.
