The Songwriter With a Golden Touch

July 11 -- What do Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Reba McEntire have in common? They have all had Top 10 hits written by the same woman: Diane Warren.

Warren, 45, is a one-woman hit factory. She has written no fewer than 90 Top 10 songs, and 38 of her songs have gone all the way to No. 1.

Her first hit was an English translation of the French song "Solitaire," which Laura Branigan took to the Top 10 in 1983. Warren went on to write dozens of pop classics, like "Rhythm of the Night" for DeBarge, Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," Whitney Houston's "I Learned From the Best," and "Unbreak My Heart" for Toni Braxton.

Warren's songs have also appeared in more than 80 feature films and numerous television shows, and her music catalogue is worth an estimated $500 million.

Her hits span genres from pop to rock, country and R&B. Remarkably, they spring from someone who has no formal training in music. Warren, who cannot even read sheet music, doesn't even understand it herself.

"It's very magical to me," she says. "I don't know where they come from, really."

Growing Up Next to the Radio

Growing up in California's San Fernando Valley, Warren was obsessed with music. Her radio was tuned to Top 40 hits by stars like Buddy Holly and the Beatles, as well as songwriters like Burt Bacharach and Carole King. She started writing songs at the age of 15 in a woodshed in the back yard.

Her father, an insurance salesman named David Warren, loved her music and took her to auditions. But her mother, Flora Warren, did not think music was a viable career, and urged her to learn shorthand and typing instead so she could make a living as a secretary.

But Warren was determined to follow her instincts. Her commitment paid off, making her a huge success, and she has not slowed down since. She still works 16 hours a day and writes an average of one song a week. She says she has only had one vacation in her whole career — a 2 ½-day trip to Hawaii. Even then, she admits, she had a keyboard in her room.