Steve and Eydie

Steve & Eydie
Steve and Eydie in 1962
Steve and Eydie in 1962
Background information
OriginUnited States
Genres
Years active1954 – 2009
Labels
Members

Steve and Eydie were American pop vocal duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé. They began working together in 1954 on Tonight Starring Steve Allen,[1][2] and in a career spanning a half century, they became "a ubiquitous presence on records, television variety shows and in nightclubs from Las Vegas to the Catskills."[3] They performed together until Gormé retired in 2009. They also had separate careers as solo singers.

Steve's birth name was Sidney Leibowitz. Edith "Eydie" Gormé was from a multilingual Sephardic Jewish family whose surname was variously spelled Gorman and Gormezano. The two were married from 1957 until Gormé's death in 2013.

They recorded on various labels including Coral and ABC-Paramount in the 1950s, United Artists, Columbia, and RCA in the 1960s, and MGM in the 1970s. They released their last US chart record on Warner Bros. Records in 1979 as Parker & Penny, titled "Hallelujah" (B Side: "Broken Hearts, Broken Promises").[4]

Their 1960 song "We Got Us" was not released as a single but was the title tune on an ABC-Paramount LP album. The album earned them a Grammy Award that year.

From February 1968 to January 1969, Steve and Eydie starred in the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow. In their later career together, they devoted performances to interpretations of the Great American Songbook.

The duo was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one for Our Love Is Here to Stay, a tribute to George and Ira Gershwin.[5] Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin won the 1979 Emmy[6] for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program.[7]

They received a Film Advisory Board's Award of Excellence and a Television Critics Circle Award for From This Moment On, a tribute to Cole Porter.[8]

On four occasions, Steve and Eydie won a Las Vegas Entertainment Award for Musical Variety Act of the Year,[6] three of them consecutively. They were honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame,[9] and in 1995 were the recipients of an Ella Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Singers,[10][11] a non-profit organization that helps professional singers with counseling and financial assistance.

In November 2009, Lawrence embarked on a musical tour without Gormé, who stayed home for health reasons. The Steve and Eydie official website confirmed in late 2010 that Gormé had officially retired from touring, for health reasons, and Lawrence would be touring alone from then on.[12]

Eydie Gormé died on August 10, 2013, six days shy of her 85th birthday.[13] Lawrence continued to tour until being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019[14] and died from complications of the disease on March 7, 2024.[15]

Singles

Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC 		US
R&B 		UK[16]
1954 "Make Yourself Comfortable"
B-side by Eydie Gorme: "I've Gotta Crow" 		— — — — — Presenting Steve & Eydie
[1967 compilation album][17]
1955 "Knickerbocker Mambo"
B-side by Eydie Gorme: "Give a Fool a Chance" 		— — — — —
"(Close Your Eyes) Take a Deep Breath"
b/w "Besame Mucho" 		— — — — —
1959 "Sentimental Me"
b/w "You Can't Be True, Dear" 		— — — — — Our Best to You
[1964 compilation album] [18]
1960 "This Could Be the Start of Something"
b/w "Darn It, Baby, That's Love" 		— 113 — — — We Got Us [1960]
1961 "The Facts of Life"
b/w "I'm a Girl, You're a Boy" 		— — — — — Non-album tracks
1963 "I Want to Stay Here"
b/w "Ain't Love" (from It's Us Again) 		28 28 8 — 3 Something's Gotta Give
"I Can't Stop Talking About You"
b/w "To the Movies We Go" (from At the Movies) 		35 51 14 — —
1964 "That Holiday Feeling"
b/w "Happy Holiday" 		— — — — — That Holiday Feeling! [1964] [19]
1967 "The Honeymoon Is Over"
b/w "Together Forever" 		— — 14 — — Together on Broadway [1967] [20]
"Mame"
b/w "Cabaret" 		— — — — —
"Summer, Summer Wind"
b/w "Be Still" 		— — — — — Steve & Eydie, Bonfa & Brazil
1968 "The Two of Us"
b/w "Mr. Spoons" (Non-album track) 		— — 33 — — This Is Steve & Eydie
[1971 compilation album] [21]
"Dear World"
b/w "A Break at Love" (Non-album track) 		— — — — —
"Hurry Home for Christmas"
b/w "Dedicated to Love" (Non-album track) 		— — — — — Christmastime In Carol and Song
[1969] [22]
1969 "Real True Lovin'"
b/w "Chapter One" 		119 — 20 — — Real True Lovin' [1969] [23]
1970 "(You're My) Soul & Inspiration"
b/w "Now I Love the World Again" (Non-album track) 		— — 21 — — This Is Steve & Eydie
[1971 compilation album] [24]
"Did You Give the World Some Love Today, Babe?"
b/w "For All We Know" 		— — — — — Non-album tracks
1971 "Love Is Blue"/"Autumn Leaves"
b/w "Hi Sweetie" (Non-album track) 		— — 37 — — A Man and A Woman [1970] [25]
"Lead Me On"
b/w "Tea for Two" (Non-album track) 		— — — — — The World of Steve & Eydie
1972 "We Can Make It Together" (featuring The Osmonds)"
b/w "E Fini" (with The Mike Curb Congregation) 		68 64 7 — —
1973 "Feelin'"
b/w "It Never Rains in Southern California" 		— — 31 — — Feelin' [1973] [26]
1979 "Hallelujah"
b/w "Broken Hearts, Broken Promises"
As "Parker & Penny" 		— — 46 — — Non-album tracks

References

  1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Eydie Gorme". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Singer Eydie Gorme dies at 84". CNN.com. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  3. ^ McArdle, Terence. "Steve Lawrence, crooner who formed pop duo with wife Eydie, dies at 88". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Record Details: Parker and Penny". 45cat.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Steve Lawrence". Television Academy. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Sweeting, Adam (10 March 2024). "Steve Lawrence obituary: American singer and actor best known for being half of the popular duo Steve and Eydie". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ Britannica Book of the Year 2014. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 2014. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-62513-171-3.
  8. ^ "A Lifetime Together!". The Morning Call. October 27, 1995.
  9. ^ "Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award". The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Lynn, Esther. "Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme". Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide.
  11. ^ "Steve & Eydie's Awards and Honors". The Official Steve and Eydie Web Site!. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000. Retrieved April 9, 2003.
  12. ^ "Steve Lawrence, minus Eydie Gorme, set for Westbury". Newsday.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  13. ^ Gates, Anita (11 August 2013). "Eydie Gorme, Voice of Sophisticated Pop, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Steve Lawrence Has Been Diagnosed with Alzheimer's: 'What I Feel Is Gratitude, Love, and Hope'". People.com. June 11, 2019.
  15. ^ "Steve Lawrence, Tony Nominee and Half of Steve & Eydie Singing Duo, Dies at 88 - TheaterMania.com". March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 314. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  17. ^ "Presenting Steve & Eydie". discogs.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Our Best to You". discogs.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  19. ^ "That Holiday Feeling". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Together on Broadway". discogs.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  21. ^ "This Is Steve & Eydie". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Christmastime In Carol and Song". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Real True Lovin'". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  24. ^ "This Is Steve & Eydie". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  25. ^ "A Man and A Woman". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  26. ^ "Feelin'". Discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2020.