Warren Wiebe
44; had long credit list as singer
Abstract from the San Diego Union-Tribune,
Obituaries, October 29, 1998

Warren Wiebe

Warren Wiebe was a pure singer whose celebrity never seemed to reach the heights of his vocal range.  But some musical figures--Quincy Jones and David Foster, among them-- made sure he received at least some of the exposure his voice deserved.  In 1984, at a birthday party for Burt Bacharach, he met composer-producer Foster, who was enchanted by Mr. Wiebe’s singing.  “David’s reactions was: ‘Boy, are you in the right business,’” recalled Amber Whitlock, a longtime friend of Mr. Wiebe.

Warren Ray Wiebe was born, July 18th, 1953.  Mr. Wiebe, a San Diego native, was found dead Sunday, October 25th, 1998 in his Glendale California apartment. He was 44.  Glendale police said the death was a suicide. Whitlock a professional singer, who lives in Vista, said Mr. Wiebe had seemed distant in recent months and was still dealing with grief over the deaths of his mother, Ruby Goodrich, and a former high school friend. His mother died in February 1997 and the friend suffered a fatal heart attack in recent months.

Mr. Wiebe, who began singing with a San Diego Top 40 band at age 14, had no formal training as a singer. His inspiration was Stevie Wonder, whose voice he often emulated.  After graduating in 1971 from Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego, Mr. Wiede toured with Bobbie Gentry of “Ode to Billy Joe” fame. He also performed solo at the Turquoise Lounge in La Mesa.

In recent years, he sang on Jones' Q's Jook Joint CD and performed in a mini-concert in England for the late Princess Diana, friends and family members said Mr. Wiebe's association with Foster opened many musical doors over the last 14 years. In 1991, he appeared with more than 50 stars of the entertainment and sports world in Foster's video production, “Voices That Care”, which was dedicated to troops in the Persian Gulf War.

Beginning in 1988, when Wayne Gretzky signed with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, Mr. Wiebe regularly sang “America The Beautiful” before their home games. Gretzky was a friend of Foster, who helped arrange Mr. Wiebe's appearances, said a spokesman for the Kings. Mr. Wiebe's rousing renditions were well-received and proved somewhat of a good luck charm for the Kings during the Gretzky era.

Primarily a studio singer in recent years, Mr. Wiebe would often make demo recordings of composers' songs for record companies. "He could sing tenor, with a very high range,or baritone," Whitlock said. "He had a voice like an angel." During the last few years, Mr. Wiebe sang inspirational music at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, where the Rev. Robert H. Schuller presides. Mr. Wiebe also appeared as a backup singer for Celine Dion and sang in the HBO movie “The Rat Pack”, simulating the voice of Dean Martin. The movie premiered in August.

Before moving to the Los Angeles area from San Diego a decade ago, Mr. Wiebe performed at Humphrey's on Shelter Island. "He sang at Carnegie Hall and he sang atSonny Bono's funeral," said his sister, Jeanne Wiebe Johnson. "In San Diego, he wasknown as 'Velvet Throat.'“Mr. Wiebe was a familiar voice on television jingles and often performed at Loews hotel in Los Angeles. He also sang on the soundtracks of two movies, “Listen To Me” in 1989 and “One Good Cop” in 1991. "Everyone in the musicindustry knew who he was," Whitlock said. "He sang a duet with Barbra Streisand and she asked to have him on her album.”But the record company wanted a big name, and they got Johnny Mathis instead.

Déjà News
This past weekend vocalist Warren Wiebe passed away. He took his own life. Many of you may not recognize his name, but you have heard his work everywhere. His main records were done with David Foster, who featured Warren.

Warren’s was the voice that many artists copied when doing their versions of songs he had demoed – “Glory Of Love” by Peter Cetera, “Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight” by Aaron Neville, and many of the Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, All-4-One, Kevin Sharp, and countless other stars' records. He also was heard on the "Candid Camera" theme. I'm sure there are countless other recordings that I'm forgetting, but rest assured that most anything David Foster put out, Warren played a part in.

Those of us who knew, worked, and loved him he was simply - great. A voice sent from God that was so sweet you could cry as you listened. He worked many times at my studio, were we did the demos for the aforementioned Aaron Neville cut, in addition to “Forever Young”, recorded by the Pretenders and Rebbie Jackson, and a slew of others.

My only regret is that many of the producers who visit here will not get a chance to work with Warren. He was a true "one of a kind", and I will miss him everyday.

Ted Perlman
October 1998