On Wednesday night, December 27, CBS aired The 46th Kennedy Center Honors, taped on December 3 in Washington, DC. The nearly two-hour television special began with Dionne Warwick, one of five 2023 honorees alongside Barry Gibb, Billy Crystal, Queen Latifah, and Renée Fleming.
Following a biographical video montage narrated by Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo’s performance of “Alfie,” Ego Nwodim introduced Chloe Bailey (also known as Chlöe), who dazzled Warwick with a stirring rendition of “Walk On By,” beginning at the 20:52 mark. Warwick bobbed her head approvingly. At the end, Chlöe looked up toward where Warwick sat and said, “I love you. Thank you.” She blew a kiss to Warwick, who smiled warmly, which must have felt almost as satisfying as receiving a tweet from Warwick. Almost. Warwick’s jam-packed tribute was punctuated by Gladys Knight singing “I Say A Little Prayer.”
The Kennedy Center posted an Instagram video of Warwick reflecting on the evening, in which she says, in part, “Oh, it was wonderful. You know, first of all, artists that I truly believe in and I know. I’m appreciative that they’ve taken the time to discover me and find out what I’m really all about.”
As per Billboard, “Walk On By” earned Warwick her first of 14 Grammy nominations (Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1965.) The 1964 classic was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998, decades after peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Watch a clip of Chlöe’s performance above, and learn more about how to stream The 46th Kennedy Center Honors here.