Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange, New Jersey. The oldest of three siblings, Warwick was raised in a deeply religious and musical family. Her father Mantrel, promoted gospel records while her mother, Lee, managed the Drinkard Singers, a gospel group comprised of Warwick's aunts and uncles.

Born Marie Dionne Warrick on December 12, 1940, in East Orange, New Jersey, Dionne Warwick has enjoyed a tremendously long career as a singer. She comes from a gospel musical background as the daughter of a record promoter and a gospel group manager and performer. As a teenager, Warwick started up her group, the Gospelaires, with her sister, Dee Dee, and aunt Cissy Houston.

Warwick has two sons, David and Damon Elliot, from her marriage to actor and musician William David Elliot. She has worked with both of her sons on different projects over the years.