Surprisingly, soul-singer Dionne Warwick's hits are few and far between on this side of the Atlantic, compared to her homeland - but when you consider how unique and famous two signature songs of hers are, it comes as no surprise that her British fan-base rarely seems to dwindle. After early dabbling with gospel via her family's musical influences (they were renowned vocal group, The Drinkards - even Elvis Presley was enamoured of their talents), Warwick hit gold by teaming up with the globally-loved songwriting partnership of Bacharach and David, the result of which was "Walk On By".

A hit on both sides of the Atlantic, "Walk On By" never seems to age and has been notably covered by Isaac Hayes, Gabrielle and The Stranglers. But it's Warwick's deft vocal touches that make her version seminal, a formula that continued to push the public's buttons on her next huge hit, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose", a cocktail of Bacharach and David's most potent orchestral arrangements and easy-going lyrics.

Despite hitting the heights in the '60s, Warwick disappeared from view in the '70s, before hooking up with The Bee Gees in 1982 and notching up two more big hits, "Heartbreaker" and "All the Love in the World", at a time when balladeering was acceptable - it was to be her last successful UK period. After brief liaisons with Lisa Stansfield, the Gibbs and Bacharach and David (in 1993), her last album, "Only Trust Your Heart", appeared in 2011 to muted acclaim - but this won't stop her tickets from selling in vast numbers. 2012 marks her 50th anniversary in showbiz!!

Her first shows since the World Hunger Day 2011 concert in London begin at Vicar Street in Dublin on 24th May, then Gateshead, followed by Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool. Tickets are on sale now, ranging from £30 to £75 (€59 for Dublin), depending on venue. More shows may be announced in due course.