Dionne Warwick teared up on stage after this touching show of support from her friends. The R&B icon asked Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Gladys Knight to sing at her AIDS charity concert, and they came through in a big way on this star-studded cut of “That’s What Friends Are For.” The vocal line was absolutely stacked, creating a timeless rendition of Dionne’s signature hit. It meant so much to Dionne that her friends came through for her, and it’s easy to understand why she got misty-eyed at several points.
Dionne’s vocals were the definition of soulful as she led the group with her opening verse at the AIDS Concert ’88 performance. Stevie sounded absolutely incredible as he sang the following verse – what a golden, lithe voice! No one does it like Stevie. Elton sang with such feeling, and seeing his absolute awe as Stevie sang at 3:48 is so relatable. Gladys then brought the thunder when she performed the main hook. The Music Man has to say this was the greatest era for R&B!
Fan channel Media Icons TV uploaded the stacked collab to YouTube, where it hit 960,000 views. Viewers found a lot to like, and added comments such as “I am an 88-year-old lady who is listening with tears streaming, listening to these incredible artists. We were so lucky to have listened to such diverse music and talent. No Auto-Tune – just artists who had talent” and “We never have this huge gathering of real musicians doing real music anymore! The amount of talent on that stage spans hundreds of years!!!”
The A-list artists who sang with Dionne are a testament to the respect she has at the very top of the entertainment business. She delivered another memorable performance of “That’s What Friends Are For” with none other than Whitney Houston at the Arista Records 15th Anniversary Celebration in 1990. The sweet embrace that Dionne and Whitney share as they sing makes the performance so touching.
Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager co-wrote “That’s What Friends Are For.” Rod Stewart was the first artist to record the song, for a contribution to the soundtrack of the 1982 film Night Shift.
The Music Man readers might not be surprised to hear that the most popular version of the song is Dionne Warwick’s version. She recorded the tune with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Gladys Knight. They were billed as Dionne Warwick & Friends, and the recording was issued as a charity single for AIDS research and prevention. The single became the biggest hit of 1986 on the Billboard Hot 100 and raised in excess of $3 million for charity.