It is eight years since William Price King joined Smorgasbord to share music across the genres. It is six years since we have featured some of the music legends and delighted to showcase them again in 2022.

Dionne Warwick – The Early Years

The Gospel, R&B and Soul dynamo that millions of fans would come to love around the world, began life as Marie Dionne Warrick in December 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey. Her father was Mancel Warrick, who worked as a chef, record producer and accountant,and her mother Lee Drinkard, who was the manager of an established musical group The Drinkard Singers.

It was inevitable, that coming from a Gospel background, that Marie would begin her music career in that style, and in her mid-teens, along with her sister Dee Dee and two cousins, she formed a group called The Gospelaires. Apart from local venues, the group would also perform as backing for other acts.

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