by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

He was born Sidney Leibowitz in the borough of Brooklyn, New York, while Edith Gormezano was raised in another borough known as the Bronx. Both are legendary today. How these two came to meet is amazing, considering they were separated by another borough (Queens) and the East River. Had it not been for the pioneering efforts of a television icon we (you, me and everyone else who enjoys the great songs of the past 100 years) perhaps would never have had the privilege of seeing and hearing Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme entertain us these past 43 years.

It was on a Friday, October 6, 1960 to be exact, when the pair stepped out onto the stage of the Lotus Inn and performed for the first time as "Steve & Eydie. Steve was at the time a specialist fourth class in the Army, stationed at Fort Meyers, Va. "When not doing K.P. duty or practicing how to become a soldier, we (Eydie) would hang out and sing at the Lotus. Besides it had great Chinese food and was the only large nightclub in town," Steve explained, as we sat down to discuss their appearance at the Stardust Hotel this week..

"You know the Stardust should be a little worried," Steve said with a grin, while Eydie began to laugh. "We've closed every place we ever worked in Las Vegas." He began to name all the hotels and showrooms that have thus far been imploded or closed. The pair will be appearing at the Stardust Hotel in the Wayne Newton Theatre on Thursday, April 29 through Saturday, May 1, as part of their "One More For The Road" final tour.

The two New Yorkers began their careers as far apart as possible. Both were raised in tenements with Steve singing in the chorus at his father's synagogue at age seven. Eydie began singing in high school and went to work as a teenager, lying about her age to get various jobs. Steve at 16 won a radio contest and became a member of the Arthur Godfrey radio show, while Eydie at 19 was on the road singing with the Tex Beneke band. Neither was aware of the other until they met in 1953.

Lawrence had met a fellow entertainer while performing with Godfrey and the two became friends. "One of these days we'll work together again," his friend said. The two stayed in touch and in July, 1953 Steve Allen called his friend and asked him to be on his new television show called "The Tonight Show."

The original show aired in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and was on for one-hour-and-forty-five minutes "We went on the air and became an instant hit," Steve explained. "Allen and the producers were still looking for a girl singer who knew more than five songs," he smiled, a slight twinkle in his eyes. "In September, Eydie came in, auditioned and got the job" Both singers signed two week contracts. Those contracts were renewed every two weeks for the next five years. Of course Eydie kept her day job as a secretary and kept recording for Coral Records, where her first record, "Frentasy" had became a local hit. Steve continued to work the lounges around 55th street and as an opening act for other entertainers.

"You could say that those five years with the gang on the Tonight Show were the best basic training course anyone could ask for," Eydie said. "We, both of us, learned so much about timing and especially comedy. In those days everything was live...there wasn't any taping. If we goofed everyone saw it."

"That's what made it so great," Steve added. "The show was fun and comradery was absolutely the best, with guys like Dwight Hemion (who would go on to become a famous producer of other television shows) and drummer Bob Rosengarden to work with. They were part of the original show."

In 1956 Ms. Gorme made her first appearance in Las Vegas at the original El Rancho Hotel as the opening act for the great Joe E. Lewis. During rehearsal it was discovered that both singers were going to sing "Chicago." She had just recently had a hit with the song, while it was also his theme song. The two worked it out, however, by having her sing the song as her closer. She would slowly start to walk off stage while singing, when Lewis picked up the beat and finished singing it as he appeared on stage. "It was a great set up," she smiled remembering that time long ago. "It was also the first time I had equal billing on the marque. He insisted upon it!"

In December, 1957 Steve and Eydie were married in Las Vegas. "We spent our honeymoon with Steve Allen working in Cuba," Steve laughed. Both by now had flourishing careers with individual recordings: Eydie with "Blame it on the Bossa Nova" and Steve's "Go Away Little Girl" as an example. In 1958 they were named the summer replacement for the Steve Allen Show. In 1960 their first son, David was born followed by Michael two years later. David is a very successful composer in Los Angeles. Michael passed away at the age of 23.

Their first appearance as Steve & Eydie in Las Vegas was at the Sahara Hotel in 1960. "In those days everyone would come in and work for five or six weeks at a time," Steve explained. "And we worked with a handshake as a contract." The pair eventually moved down the strip to the Sands Hotel where they remained for over 12 years. During one of those stints at the Sands, Lawrence had a problem with his vocal chords and was told not to talk, let alone sing for about a week. "I had no idea what I was going to do," Eydie said. "I hadn't performed as a single in a long time. Then came a knock at the dressing room door. Frank Sinatra walked in and said he was going to be my opening act during the second show until the "kid" could sing again."

Sinatra and another great singer named Buddy Clark (who died in a plane crash on Oct. 2, 1949 at the age of 38) were Lawrence's biggest influence, while the great Sarah Vaughan was Eydie's. "Those three had more to do with how we sang and what songs we sang than anyone else in the music business," Gorme said.

"In those days everyone watched out for each other," Steve added. "If someone got sick and was unable to work, we (entertainers) would fill in until they were able to return."

Another dream shared by most entertainers and especially those from New York, was to perform at Carnegie Hall. In 1982 their dream came true when they starred in a series of sold-out concerts at the Hall, returning in 1984 to repeat their earlier success. " Another highlight of their career occurred in 1990-91 when they did the "Diamond Jubilee Tour" with Sinatra. Playing before SRO audiences around the world, receiving rave reviews and accolades from every corner of the globe the tour culminated at New York's Madison Square Garden, with a television special later aired on CBS. "Steve and Eydie represent all that is good about performers and the interpretation of a song...they're the best," Sinatra said in an interview at the time.

Jon Maas, writing in the Los Angeles Tribune on April 6, 2003 wrote: "They killed....Singing the great American songbook from Gershwin to Porter in front of a large orchestra, is the kind of act that the real headliners used to do in the glory days of Vegas....."

Steve & Eydie's consummate artistry has earned them acclaim in every area of the entertainment industry. Their television specials saluting the great American songwriters such as Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter garnered a total of nine Emmy's, plus many other awards. In addition, the pair received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. The award, presented by Merv Griffin, honored the duo's on-going tributes to American songwriters. They share also a Grammy Award for their album, "We've Got Us," and Eydie won a second Grammy for her solo recording of "If He Walked Into My Life." Steve earned the New York Drama Critics Award and a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut as the star of "What Makes Sammy Run." The couple subsequently shared a Broadway stage in the musical comedy-drama, "Golden Rainbow." Steve & Eydie won the Las Vegas Entertainment Award as "Musical Variety Act of the Year" four times, three of them consecutively. They also have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The duo have recorded over 100 albums during their lustrous career with both of them very proud of Steve's latest album, "Steve Lawrence Sings Sinatra." Steve explained that one Christmas a gift box was delivered to us with these fantastic orchestrations from Mr. Sinatra, with a note that read: "I know how much you love this music. So take it with you wherever you go and keep this kind of music playing. Just tell everybody where you got it." This writer has listened to the album, which includes 14 of the orchestrations given to them by The Man, and all I can say this is a must listen for anyone who loved Sinatra and his music. It's definitely a work of love by a man who also loves his music.

In June, 2003 Bill Friedwald of the New York Daily News wrote of the pair: "Let me say this plainly: Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme are among the great treasures of American showbiz and pop music...."

They will be appearing for three nights at the Stardust Hotel with a 27 piece orchestra conducted by Vince Falcone (who incidentally was Mr. Sinatra's conductor for 10 years). "We have a few set songs we always do," Steve said, explaining the show."It's not a show set in concrete...we'll float from song to song depending on the mood of the crowd."

"Yeah, and we don't talk to each other for hours before the show either,"Gorme smiled at her husband of 46 years.

The "One More For The Road" tour was decided upon in 2002, while they were on a city-to-city tour. They had done enough one-nighters to last a lifetime. So in February 2003 the final tour began.

As Larry King wrote in his national column: "If Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme don't entertain you, then no one can entertain you!"

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