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When you hear the name, Dionne Warwick, many songs come to mind…..Alfie, That’s What Friends Are For, Do You Know the Way to San Jose and many, many more!

From the day she rocketed to stardom in 1962 with the hit, “Don’t Make Me Over,” she has remained in the public eye as a successful recording artist, an author and a great humanitarian.

She received her first Grammy in 1968 and racked up more than 50 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.  She went on to receive 5 Grammys throughout her career.  Dionne was the first African American female performer to appear before the Queen of England.  She went on to perform before numerous kings, queens, presidents and heads of state.

Dionne was a pioneer for the fight against AIDS.  With her song, “That’s What Friends Are For,” she raised millions of dollars for AIDS research.  She has devoted many hours to a wide range of humanitarian causes.  She served as the US Ambassador for Health and was named a global Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.

55+ is thrilled to bring you this interview with this very special lady…….Dionne Warwick……

55+ Our readers will be very interested to know how you manage to stay in such great shape.  Can you share your secrets with us?

DW I am so happy to know that people think I am in good shape….I do have a few pounds to lose at this time.  I guess if you think I am in good shape now, just wait until I lose those extra pounds!!  I have no secret to share….I wish I did….

55+ Do you stick to a specific exercise and diet regimen?

DW  Diet and exercise are not in my vocabulary….honest.  I guess I have good, family genes.

55+ Our readers would love to know what types of music you relax to, sing along with or get up and dance to?

DW I love to listen to Brazilian music mostly, but I love the music of my peers like Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Johnny Mathis, and many more.

55+ Looking back over the many hits you have had, does one song stand out as your favorite?

DW I treat all of my music like I treat my children.  They are both my favorites.  All of my songs are my favorites.

55+ I know you love Brazil, where you lived for many years and enjoy going there when you need to relax, unwind and just, overall enjoy yourself.  Do you still travel there and spend time with friends?

DW Brazil has always been and still is, what I consider to be my “STRESS FREE COUNTRY.”  I still travel quite frequently to Brazil as I have a great deal of friends there and I feel like it is my second home.

55+ The “We Are the World” project was one of the most exciting events to be experienced by our 55+ readers.  How incredible was it to be among all of those talented people creating such an emotional product?

DW I have been asked this question several times and the only answer I can give is that it was one of those times when “you just had to be there”…….it just cannot be described.  It was a wonderful life experience and one that I will never forget!

55+ We are all so familiar with your musical collaboration with Burt Bacharach.  He wrote such beautiful but unusual melodies.  Were they difficult to learn? Did his wife, Carole Bayer Sager write the lyrics to all of those songs?

DW Burt did write and is still writing wonderful melodies today.  The lyrics to the songs we did together were written by Hal David.  He and Carole wrote many other wonderful songs together.  Burt’s melodies were not the easiest to learn, but since they were writing specifically for me, it was not that difficult for me to learn them.

55+ We know you performed before kings, queens and presidents.  What was your most exciting performance among them?

DW Performing for all of the heads of state and heads of countries was very exciting!  I cannot pick just one or two as there have been many and each one was a memorable one.

55+ You must get asked this a lot, but who are some of your favorite performers of today?

DW I pretty much listen to my CDs as I feel the music of today is geared more for the youth.

55+ We heard a rumor that you may be appearing on a reality show soon.  Can you give us a clue as to which one it is?

DW I am not at liberty to speak to this question right now, but I hope you all tune in when you discover which show it is.

55+ Besides your talents as a singer and performer, you have now added “author” to your list of career descriptions.  Do you enjoy writing?

DW Yes, I do.  I have written my memoir and am very happy with it and hope to write more in the future.

55+ Do you have a special place where you write, or a special time to write?

DW It seems that when I am out on tour, I always end up doing some writing. I wrote most of my memoir while on tour.  As far as a special place, I can really write just about anywhere as long as I am comfortable.

55+ You wrote “My Point of View” in 2003 and we are anticipating your second book, “My Life As I See It” which will be on the shelves in November, 2010.  If you had to describe your life as you see it in one word, what would it be?

DW In a word……..BLESSED………

55+ Ms. Warwick, we want to thank you so much for sharing your feelings with us.  Do you have any advice for our 55+ readers?

DW It’s been a pleasure sharing with all of your readers……the only advice that I would give to anyone would be for everyone to live and love the life they live!

Thanks for the music……from all of your 55+ fans!

Be sure to look for Dionne’s new book, “My Life As I See It.”  Now available in all bookstores.

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