They were two of the biggest stars of the 20th century, and they just happened to be cousins, too. Dionne Warwick made her name with a series of monster hits in the 1960s and had a second run of fame on Arista Records in the 1980s, peaking with the smash #1 hit, “That’s What Friends Are For.” And her cousin and Arista labelmate, Whitney Houston, became perhaps the biggest female vocalist in the world in the 80s, an amazing combination of a powerful voice and beauty that captivated the world.
In 1990, Arista Records celebrated its 15th anniversary at a show in New York, and the show closed, quite fittingly, with Dionne and Whitney teaming for a live version of “That’s What Friends Are For,” bringing onstage other greats of the time, from The Four Tops to Alan Jackson to…Milli Vanilli.
It was a wonderful coda to the show and makes for a great video more than three decades later. Check it out below.
By Chris Rizik
