Lawrence and Gorm, or Steve and Edie, were known for their frequent appearances on talk shows, nightclubs, and on stages in Las Vegas. The duo drew inspiration from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and other songwriters.
Shortly after Elvis Presley and other rock music pioneers began dominating radio and records, Lawrence and his wife were consulted about changing their style.
“We had a chance to be on the first floor of rock 'n' roll,” he recalled in a 1989 interview. “It was 1957 and everything was changing, but I wanted to be Sinatra, not Rick Nelson.
“Our audience knows we're not going to play a ton of heavy metal or set the drummer on fire, although there were some nights where we talked about it,” he joked. Said.
Although Lawrence and Gorm were best known as a team, both had huge solo hits just a few months apart in the early 1960s.
Longtime friend Dionne Warwick said in a statement that Lawrence is “resting peacefully in the arms of his Heavenly Father.” I would like to express my sincere condolences. ”
Lawrence scored her first score in 1962 with “Go Away Little Girl,” a heartbreaking romantic ballad written by the Brill Building songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Gorm matched his success the following year with “Blame It on the Bossa Nova,” a bouncy song about the dance craze of the time, written by Brill hitmakers Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
By the 1970s, the Lawrences were top stars in Las Vegas casinos and nightclubs across the United States. They also appeared regularly on television, making specials and guest appearances on various shows.
In the 1980s, when Las Vegas cut back on headline acts and nightclubs became scarce, the duo switched to auditoriums and drew large crowds.
“People come to us with a rough idea of what they're going to get,” Lawrence said in 1989. “It's like a product. They buy a particular cereal, and that I know what to expect from the package.”
Lawrence began her professional singing career at the age of 15. She auditioned for the TV show “Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout'' twice, but passed on her third try, winning and appearing on Godfrey's popular daytime radio show. I won a prize. one week.
King Records was impressed with the teenager's powerful two-octave voice and signed him to a contract. His first record, “Poinciana,” sold him over 100,000 copies, and in high school he was allowed to skip class and sing and promote himself out of town.
After several guest appearances on Steve Allen's television show, Lawrence was hired as a regular. When the show became NBC's “Tonight” in 1954, he got on board, singing and joking with Allen. This series set the pattern for the long-running show “The Tonight Show.”
“I think the biggest thing that happened to me was Steve Allen,” said Lawrence, who stayed on as the show's host for five years, honing his comedy skills and captivating a wide audience with his singing. “Every night I was asked to do something different, which was better than vaudeville.”
Early in the series, a young singer named Edie Gorm joined the cast. After singing together for four years, she and Lawrence married in 1957.
They remained popular, performing together in concerts and appearing on television separately, until Gorm's death in 2013.
His reasons are: “If we do TV together all the time, why should anyone go to the club to see us?”
He appeared on shows such as “CSI: Forensic Science,'' “Gilmore Girls,'' “Diagnosis Murder,'' and “The Nanny.''
He and his wife co-starred on “The Steve Lawrence Edie Gorm Show'' in 1958, and Lawrence created his own series “The Steve Lawrence Show'' in 1965.
He also appeared on stage without Gorm, including the lead role in the 1962 summer version of “Pal Joey.'' He made his way to Broadway in 1964 and was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical “What Makes Sammy Run?” The film is based on Budd Schulberg's classic novel about a New York hustler who rises to the top of the entertainment world.
Critics praised Lawrence but gave the play poor reviews. Still, it was profitable, and insiders attributed its success to his work.
Lawrence has also played several roles in films, most notably Stand Up and Be Counting, The Blues Brothers 2000, The Lonely Guy, and The Yard. .
Native-born New Yorkers, Lawrence and Gorm lived in a Manhattan apartment during their early years together. When the center of television entertainment moved to Hollywood, it moved to Beverly Hills.
Lawrence was born Sidney Leibowitz in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, the son of a Jewish cantor who worked as a house painter. He began singing in his father's synagogue choir from the age of eight and moved to bars and clubs by his mid-teens. He took his name from the first names of his two nephews.
He and Gorm had two sons, composer David and Michael. Michael suffered from heart problems for many years and died of heart failure in 1986 at the age of 23.
“My father was an inspiration to many,” his son David said in a statement. “But to me he was just a charming, handsome, hysterical funny guy who sang well, sometimes alone and sometimes with a very talented wife. I'm so lucky to have him as a father. , I am so proud to be his son.”
This report includes biographical material compiled by former Associated Press reporter Bob Thomas.
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