Larry talks with Legendary Songstress Dionne Warwick about her upcoming Apollo Theater appearance before closed for renovations

Marie Dionne Warwick an American singer, actress, and television host.  During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards.  She has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame.  In 2019, Warwick won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  Three of her songs (''Walk On By'', ''Alfie'', and ''Don't Make Me Over'') have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on Billboard's Hot 100 pop singles chart.  She is the second-most charted female vocalist during the rock era (1955–1999).  Ms. Warwick is also one of the most-charted vocalists of all time, with 56 of her singles making the Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998 (12 of them Top Ten), and 80 singles in total – either solo or collaboratively – making the Hot 100, R&B, or adult contemporary charts.  Dionne ranks number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100's ''Greatest Artists of All Time''.  Also, she is a former Goodwill Ambassador for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a podcast from WR. Here again is Larry
Menti with the WR Saturday Morning show. Welcome Back. Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame member Dion Warwick is back
on stage for one night Friday, June twenty seventh at
eight o'clock at the legendary Apollo Theater and I had

(00:23):
the great honor of talking with the legend Dion. This
is really exciting. Do you have a connection with the
Apollo Theater?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Absolutely, as we started.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
I started at the Apollo with my gospel group on
amateur night, and as it turns out, we won that night,
which is amazing.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh that's wonderful. You must be excited to be on
the stage with your son, who, in his own right,
he's won several Grammys as a producer. Damon Elliott. Tell
me how you two were going to work together during
this show.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
Well, Damon will be asking me questions that everybody in
the audience basically wants to know. And they're beginning the
absolute true stories as opposed to what I thought, Well
didn't you do this?

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Or we thought? And you know they'll now get the
I know.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Uh, that's how is Damon doing. I mean, he's got
an incredible career.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
It's absolutely incredible and I'm so proud of him. He's
Holmes to crapped. I mean to the point that not
only he's producing a lot of other people he didn't
have that, he's done a couple of my CDs.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
That's wonderful. It must be so much fun. And so
you must be so honored, and he's honored to work
be able to work with your son's that's great. By
the way, I've read some of your tweets, some of
the things you have on x You've become a star
of Twitter, I mean, followed by everybody, and all the
comments I'm reading is how funny you are.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Yeah, said, I missed my call and I should have
been a comedian. You know, I love laughter. I love it,
and it's a good way to begin and in the
in the conversation because.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
I laugh and you have you have thousands, maybe millions
of new fans because of social media.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
It's wonderful. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
In fact, knowing that the youngsters are now a part
of my life, they've shown me that they understand what
I'm saying, they love what I'm saying. And I even
said they've taken some of the things that I said
I did, or I wish I had done and have
gone on to greater things. It's wonderful. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
So and by the way, what is her Twitter handle again,
so people can follow her right now?

Speaker 2 (02:57):
My Twitter?

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah? Work? Of course who else would have that? Who
else could or just maybe Queen Dion Warwick. But so
tell us about the show we've we've established. You're going
to answer questions and your sons, everybody on the stage
with you. But will it be will be all.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
The hits, It'll be most of them. You'll be having
questions that people have always thought I did or didn't
you do that?

Speaker 2 (03:28):
That kind of thing.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
They'll get the absolute truth from the source myself. There'll
be film. You'll be the last thing as well, and
and it'll come from that. It's the avening of I
not only talking. There'll be a few songs here and there,
of course. But people has said, you know, we well

(03:53):
we thought you didn't and now they know what I
actually did.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Has there been I mean, you've brought this up now
a couple of times. You're going to hear the truth.
Has there been a lot of disinformation about you and
your career over the years.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Ohways, I don't think I'm the only one I said disinformation.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
I mean, is there things that you feel like you
need to clear up.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
I think that people want to know the absolute truth,
you know, and I think they're going to feel that
they've gotten it based on the fact that I'm the
one telling them what it actually is or was.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Well, this is really exciting for New York, for the
Apollo Theater. I'm sure for you and your son to
be able to go back to the Apollo Theater. And
it's really great that you're doing this before all the
renovations start. It's going to be closed down for a
couple of years.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yes, it is.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah, And so what do you think the feeling is
going to be like? Have you been there for rehearsals?

Speaker 3 (04:55):
No, I don't think I need to rehearse at the
apollosan this several times. It's like going home. You know,
it's going to be wonderful. And as it turns out,
I'm closing the Apollos last day it's going to be opened.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
I didn't know that. Wow, what a great way for
them to go out for a couple of years. Dion Ruwick,
thanks so much for spending some time with us. It
was a real honor.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, my pleasure, Darlin, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
Dion Warwick Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member. She
is coming to the Apollo Theater. Dion Warwick Don't make
Me Over. One night only, Friday, June twenty seventh, at
eight o'clock. This has been a podcast from wor