I first heard of Dee Dee Warwick from an excellent Atlantic Records compilation from the early seventies (Heavy Soul, 1972) that I picked up near the beginning of my record digging days. It was back in Washington, DC and likely I recognized some of the bigger names on the comp, but the depth of this comp still surprises me: Little Sister, King Floyd, Beginning of the End, Donny Hathaway and Dee Dee Warwick among better known stars of the Atlantic roster like Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave and Aretha Franklin. Since my first of two two trips to Graceland I've been a huge fan of the song "Suspicious Minds" and Dee Dee's version does not disappoint with its loping groove and laid-back reading.Fast-forward to NYC and I stumble across an eBay lot of 45s including the 45 from whence the Suspicious Minds track came from and sure enough the flip is just as good! Most recently, when having a sidewalk sale of records in preparation for my westward move I ran into a guy from Guyana who asked if I had any Dee Dee Warwick records, particularly the one with "Suspicious Minds" on it. I don't know that an album exists, but he remembers growing up in Guyana and how that song was a huge hit there. Crazy.
The reason I'm posting this double-sided piece of gold is because sadly Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne's younger sister, niece of Cissy Houston (cousin of Whitney), passed away at the age of 63 on October 20th.
Dee Dee Warwick - Suspicious Minds
Dee Dee Warwick (with the Dixie Flyers) - I'm Glad I'm a Woman
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