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Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who achieved notable success in pop, Latin, and jazz genres. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and television. She also performed on Broadway and in Las Vegas. Born in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, New York, Gormé began her career singing in a band on weekends while working as a translator. She gained prominence after appearing on the radio program ''Cita Con Eydie'' and changing her name for easier pronunciation. Gormé's career took off in the early 1950s, starting with her two-month stint with the Tommy Tucker band, followed by a year with Tex Beneke's band. She signed with
Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...
in 1952, releasing her first single and later joining ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'', where she met Lawrence. The duo's success included the hits "
Too Close for Comfort ''Too Close for Comfort'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to ''The Ted Knight Show'' ...
" and " Blame It on the Bossa Nova", with Gormé also achieving solo success and earning
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and nominations. Her marriage to Lawrence in 1957 marked the beginning of a lifelong personal and professional partnership, celebrated with their
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
-winning television specials and performances alongside stars such as
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. Gormé was renowned for her recordings in Spanish, particularly with Trio Los Panchos, which solidified her international fame. Her versatility was evident in her wide-ranging discography, which includes albums such as ''Amor'' and ''Eydie Swings the Blues''. Gormé's contributions to music were recognized with awards, including a
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
and a Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award.


Early years

Gormé was born in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
to
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
parents Nessim Hasdai Gormezano and Fortuna "Fortunee" Gormezano. Her father was from Sicily and changed his name to Gormé when he arrived in the US. Both her parents were born in
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
of Spanish descent, and Gormé grew up speaking English and Spanish. After graduating from William Howard Taft High School, she attended night classes at City College.


Career

After high school, Gormé worked as a Spanish interpreter, but on weekends she sang in a band led by Ken Greengrass. She appeared on the Spanish-language radio program ''Cita Con Eydie'' (''A Date with Eydie''), changing her name from "Edith" to "Edie" and then "Eydie" because people mispronounced "Edie". She considered changing her last name, but her mother told her, "It's bad enough that you're in
show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...
. How will the neighbors know if you're ever a success?" Gormé sang with the Tommy Tucker band for two months in 1950, followed by a year with Tex Beneke's band. She signed as a solo act with Coral Records in 1952 and released her first single, "That Night of Heaven". She was hired by ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'' in its early days with
Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...
and formed a duo with another one of its staff singers, Steve Lawrence. As ''The Tonight Show'' was beginning to broadcast across the country in 1954, the duo released their first single, "Make Yourself Comfortable/I've Gotta Crow". Gormé had her first chart hit, "Too Close for Comfort", in 1956 after moving from Coral to
ABC-Paramount Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! Records, Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquire ...
. Two more hits followed. "Mama, Teach Me to Dance" and "Love Me Forever" reached the top-40 singles chart, while her albums ''Eydie Gorme'' and ''Eydie Swings the Blues'' reached the top-20 albums chart. In 1957, Gormé and Lawrence were married, and several months later they hosted ''Steve Allen Presents the Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gormé Show'' after Allen retired from ''The Tonight Show''. Three more singles by Gormé and two more albums became chart hits. In 1960, they sang in clubs and released ''We Got Us'', their first album as a duo. They received a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for the title track from the album. Gormé recorded "Yes My Darling Daughter" for
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, and it reached the top 10 in the UK. In 1963, she reached the top 10 in the U.S. with " Blame It on the Bossa Nova". The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Vocal Performance and was certified gold after selling one million copies. The album ''Blame It on the Bossa Nova'' entered the top 40 with four more hit singles during the same year. Two were recorded as the duo Steve and Eydie. She recorded the Spanish albums ''Amor'' and ''More Amor'' with the Trio Los Panchos, then she turned to show tunes. "If He Walked into My Life" was an easy-listening hit in 1966 and earned her a
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
. Steve and Eydie moved on to Broadway, starring in the musical ''Golden Rainbow'' based on the play ''A Hole in the Head''. "How Could I Be So Wrong" by Gormé, which was performed in the musical, was a hit on the easy-listening chart. The musical had a successful one-year run. Steve and Eydie signed to
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
and released two albums, while Gormé had another hit with the title track and album ''Tonight I'll Say a Prayer'' in 1970. Their last hit on the pop chart was the song "We Can Make It Together" with
the Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (the Osmonds). The group has c ...
in 1973. Gormé was successful in the
Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
market and internationally through albums she recorded in Spanish with the Trio Los Panchos. Her first recording with Los Panchos came about after the popular group with members from Mexico and Puerto Rico, composed of Alfredo Gil, Chucho Navarro, and Johnny Albino, saw her perform at Manhattan's Club Copacabana late in 1963. Gormé had achieved international fame from the song "Blame it on the Bossa Nova", which sold 250,000 copies in Spanish in addition to sales in English. Los Panchos were the top ''
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
''singers in Latin America, so when they suggested a recording, Columbia agreed. In 1964, Columbia released the album ''Amor'', which spent 22 weeks on the charts. The song "''Sabor a Mí''" became one of Gormé's signature tunes. In 1965, a sequel appeared called ''More Amor'', later reissued as ''Cuatro Vidas''. Her last album with Los Panchos was ''Navidad Means Christmas'' (1966), later reissued as ''Blanca Navidad''. She recorded other Spanish albums in her career, including the Grammy-nominated ''La Gormé'' (1976). ''Muy Amigos/Close Friends'' (1977), a duet collection with Puerto Rican singer Danny Rivera, also received a Grammy nomination. Steve and Eydie performed a tribute to
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
on their television special ''Our Love Is Here to Stay'', which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special. Two years later they sang on ''Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin'' and again won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special. In 1989, they started the record label GL Music. They sang with Frank Sinatra on his 70th-birthday tour and on his album '' Duets II'' (1994). They recorded a cover version of the song " Black Hole Sun" by the rock band Soundgarden for the album ''Lounge-A-Palooza'' (1997). As the 21st century arrived, the couple announced plans to reduce their touring, starting a One More for the Road Tour in 2002. In 2006, Gormé became a blogger. In November 2009, after his wife retired, Lawrence embarked on a solo music tour.


Personal life

Gormé and Lawrence had two sons. David Nessim Lawrence (b. 1960) is an ASCAP Award-winning composer who composed the score for ''
High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...
''. Michael Robert Lawrence (1962–1986) died at the age of 23 of
ventricular fibrillation Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib or VF) is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the Ventricle (heart), ventricles of the heart Fibrillation, quiver. It is due to disorganized electrical conduction system of the heart, electrical activity. Ventricula ...
from an undiagnosed heart condition. Gormé and Lawrence were in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia, at the time of their son's death, having performed at the Fox Theater the night before. Frank Sinatra, a family friend, sent his private plane to fly the couple to New York, where David had been attending school. After their son's death, Gormé and Lawrence suspended touring for a year.


Death

Gormé died on August 10, 2013, at age 84, at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas following an undisclosed illness. She was interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. Lawrence issued a statement: "Eydie has been my partner on stage and in my life for more than 55 years. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her and even more the first time I heard her sing. While my personal loss is unimaginable, the world has lost one of the greatest pop vocalists of all time." Lawrence died on March 7, 2024, at the age of 88 from complications of
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
.


In popular culture

Gormé was portrayed by
Victoria Jackson Victoria Jackson (born August 2, 1959) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1992. Early life Jackson was born in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Marlene Esther (née Blac ...
in the popular ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' skit "The Sinatra Group" in tandem with
Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...
portraying her husband Steve Lawrence.


Awards and honors

* Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group, ''We Got Us'' with Steve Lawrence, 1960 * Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance, "If He Walked Into My Life", 1966 * Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award, 1995 * Inducted with Steve Lawrence into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...
, winning the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, 19951995 Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award
Retrieved September 1, 2014
* Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special, ''Our Love Is Here to Stay'' with Steve Lawrence, 1976 * Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special, ''Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin'' with Steve Lawrence, 1979


Discography


Albums

Solo * ''Delight'' (1956) * ''Eydie Gorme'' (1957) * ''Eydie Swings the Blues'' (1957) * ''Eydie Gorme Vamps the Roaring 20's'' (1958) * '' Eydie in Love'' (1958) * '' Gorme Sings Showstoppers'' (1958) * ''Love Is a Season'' (1958) * ''Eydie Gorme on Stage'' (1959) * ''Eydie in Dixieland'' (1959) * ''Come Sing with Me'' (1961) * ''I Feel So Spanish'' (1961) * ''Very Best of Eydie Gorme'' (1961) * ''Best of Eydie Gorme'' (1962) * ''Blame It on the Bossa Nova'' (1963) * ''Let the Good Times Roll'' (1963) * ''Gorme Country Style'' (1964) * ''Great Songs from 'The Sound of Music' & Broadway'' (1965) * ''Don't Go to Strangers'' (1966) * ''Softly, as I Leave You'' (1967) * ''The Look of Love'' (1968) * ''Eydie'' (1968) * ''Yes Indeed!'' (1969) Harmony * ''With All My Heart'' (1969) Harmony * ''Otra Vez'' (1969) * ''Melodies of Love'' (1970) Harmony * ''Tonight I'll Say a Prayer'' (1970) * ''If He Walked into My Life'' (1971) Harmony * ''It Was a Good Time'' (1971) * ''La Gorme'' (1976) * ''Muy Amigos/Close Friends'' with Danny Rivera (1977) * ''Since I Fell for You'' (1981) * ''Tomame O Dejame'' (1982) * ''De Corazon a Corazon'' (1988) * ''Eso Es El Amor'' (1992) * ''Silver Screen'' (1992) * ''Blame It on the Bossa Nova'' (+ 2 bonus tracks) (2002) * ''Tonight I'll Say a Prayer/It Was a Good Time'' (2005) * ''Don't Go to Strangers/Softly as I Leave You'' (2012) * ''Since I Fell for You'' (+ 5 bonus tracks) (2014) * ''An American Treasure'' (2015) With Steve Lawrence * ''Steve & Eydie'' (1958) * ''We Got Us'' (1960) * ''Sing the Golden Hits'' (1960) * ''Our Best to You'' (1961) * ''Cozy'' (1961) * ''Two on the Aisle'' (1962) * ''Steve & Eydie at the Movies'' (1963) * ''That Holiday Feeling'' (1964) * ''Steve & Eydie Together on Broadway'' (1967) * ''Bonfa & Brazil'' with Luis Bonfa (1967) * ''Golden Rainbow'' (1968) * ''Real True Lovin' '' (1969) * ''What It Was, Was Love'' (1969) * ''A Man and a Woman'' (1970) * ''This Is Steve & Eydie'' (1971) * ''This Is Steve & Eydie, Vol. 2'' (1972) * '' The World of Steve & Eydie'' (1972)(2009) * ''Feelin' '' (1972) * ''Songs by Steve & Eydie'' (1972) * ''Steve & Eydie Together'' (1975) * ''Our Love Is Here to Stay'' (1976) * ''Together Forever'' (1984) * ''Hallelujah'' (1984) * ''Through the Years'' (1985) * ''Alone Together'' (1990) * ''Happy Holidays'' (1990) * ''Steve & Eydie and Friends Celebrate Gershwin'' (1990) * ''Steve & Eydie and Friends Celebrate Porter'' (1990) * ''Steve & Eydie and Friends Celebrate Berlin'' (1990) * ''Together on Broadway/Two on the Isle'' (2001) * ''To You from Us'' (2009) * ''Cozy/A Man & a Woman'' (2013) * ''Cozy/Two on the Isle'' (2013) * ''Great American songbook'' (2013) * ''Original Hits'' (2024) With Trio Los Panchos * '' Amor (Great Love Songs in Spanish)'' (1964) * ''More Amor'' (1965) * ''Navidad Means Christmas'' (1966) * ''Cuatro Vidas'' (1970)


Singles


Music samples


References


External links


Official site
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorme, Eydie 1928 births 2013 deaths American people of Italian-Jewish descent American people of Italian descent American people of Turkish-Jewish descent American performers of Latin music American women pop singers 20th-century American Sephardic Jews Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery ABC Records artists Columbia Records artists MGM Records artists Grammy Award winners Jewish American musicians Jews from New York (state) Musicians from the Bronx Primetime Emmy Award winners Singers from New York City Spanish-language singers of the United States American torch singers American bossa nova singers Traditional pop music singers Women in Latin music 21st-century American women Jewish women singers 21st-century American Sephardic Jews