"That's What Friend's Are For"

Cell Phone: ring, ring
Me: Hello
Caller: Hello Gina, this is Dionne Warwick.

Cool, one of show businesses most successful female recording artists phoned me to talk about her performance this weekend in Fort Myers.

I started digging into Warwick's career and discovered that she is second only to Aretha Franklin as far as the most charted hits on Billboard by a female artist. She has 56 of them. Songs like; "Walk On By", "I Say A Little Prayer", "What The World Needs Now is Love" and dozens more.

But The first song that comes to mind when I think of Warwick is the 80's classic with Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight; "That's What Friends Are For". I will even admit to tearing up to it, on occasion. She told me that was one of the highlights of her career.

When I told her my full-time job was in radio she reminisced about how great radio was for her career, how it propelled her and how grateful she was for it. We talked a lot about how that has changed for artists now, many of whom get famous from video and the internet. I'm glad the interview was for print not broadcast because many of her answers to my questions were short and to the point. For example I asked what  her favorite song to perform was, she simply said "All of them."

I wondered what she was doing and where she was when she called me. I envisioned her stylist standing in front of her waving beautiful gowns for approval while someone was giving her a pedicure and her assistant was pointing at his watch. In reality, she was probably still in her PJ's with a cup of coffee in her other hand.

I interviewed Warwick for Fort Myers Florida Weekly. The issue is out tomorrow (1/4/12) so be sure to pick it for more of our conversation.

The concert is 8:00 Saturday, January 7th at the beautiful Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center on First St, downtown Fort Myers. Warwick will be joined on stage by her son, guitarist David Elliott. Tickets are still available ($175)

By-the-way, I did save her number. I thought I might see if she would be up for a martini after her performance.