Eydie Gormé facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé in 1962
Background information
Birth name	Edith Gormezano
Born	(1928-08-16)August 16, 1928 Bronx, New York, U.S.
Died	August 10, 2013(2013-08-10) (aged 84) Las Vegas, Nevada
Genres	Pop, traditional pop, Latin pop, swing, bolero
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1950–2009
Labels	Coral, ABC-Paramount, United Artists, Columbia, RCA Victor, MGM
Associated acts	Steve and Eydie, Los Panchos

Eydie Gormé (pronounced EE-dee; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was a famous American singer. She had many hit songs on both pop and Latin pop music charts. Eydie sang by herself and also as part of a duo called Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence. They released many albums and appeared on television together. She also performed in Broadway shows and in Las Vegas.

Early Life and Family Roots

Eydie Gormé was born in the Bronx, a part of New York City. Her parents, Nessim Hasdai Gormezano and Fortuna "Fortunee" Gormezano, were Sephardi Jews. They were both born in Turkey. At home, the Gormezano family spoke several languages. One of these was Ladino, which is also known as Judaeo-Spanish. It is a language similar to Spanish. Because of this, Eydie learned to speak and sing in Spanish very well.

Eydie went to William Howard Taft High School. The famous movie director Stanley Kubrick also went to school there. After high school, Eydie worked as a translator. At night, she studied at City College. On weekends, she sang in a band led by Ken Greengrass.

Singing Career and Success

Eydie Gormé started her career on a Spanish-language radio show called Cita Con Eydie (A Date with Eydie). She changed her name from "Edith" to "Edie" and then to "Eydie". This was because people often mispronounced "Edie."

Early Music and TV Appearances

In 1950, Eydie sang with the Tommy Tucker band for two months. After that, she spent a year singing with Tex Beneke's band. In 1952, she signed a contract with Coral Records as a solo singer. Her first song was "That Night of Heaven."

Eydie was hired to sing on The Tonight Show when Steve Allen was the host. There, she met another singer named Steve Lawrence. They formed a singing duo. In 1954, as The Tonight Show began to be shown across the country, Steve and Eydie released their first song together, "Make Yourself Comfortable/I've Gotta Crow."

First Hit Songs

In 1956, Eydie moved to ABC-Paramount Records. She had her first song hit the music charts, called "Too Close for Comfort." Two more songs became hits: "Mama, Teach Me to Dance" and "Love Me Forever." Her albums Eydie Gorme and Eydie Swings the Blues also became popular.

Marriage and Awards

Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence got married in 1957. A few months later, they hosted their own TV show, Steve Allen Presents the Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gormé Show. In 1960, they released their first album as a duo, called We Got Us. They won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for the album's main song. Eydie also had a Top Ten hit in the UK with "Yes My Darling Daughter."

In 1963, Eydie had a huge hit in the U.S. with "Blame It on the Bossa Nova." This song was nominated for a Grammy Award and sold over one million copies. The album of the same name also became very popular.

Latin Music Success

Eydie Gormé became very successful in the Latin music world. She recorded albums in Spanish with a famous group called Trio Los Panchos. This group had members from Mexico and Puerto Rico. They saw Eydie perform in New York City in 1963. Her song "Blame it on the Bossa Nova" had already sold many copies in Spanish.

In 1964, Eydie and Los Panchos released the album Amor. It stayed on the music charts for 22 weeks. The song "Sabor a Mí" became one of Eydie's most famous Spanish songs. They released more albums together, including More Amor and Navidad Means Christmas. Eydie recorded other Spanish albums later, like La Gormé (1976) and Muy Amigos/Close Friends (1977). Both of these were nominated for Grammy Awards.

Broadway and Later Career

Steve and Eydie also performed on Broadway. They starred in a musical called Golden Rainbow. Eydie's song from the musical, "How Could I Be So Wrong," was a hit on the Easy Listening charts. The musical ran for a successful year.

In 1976, Steve and Eydie won an Emmy Award for their TV special Our Love Is Here to Stay. It was a tribute to the composer George Gershwin. They won another Emmy in 1979 for their special Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin.

In 1989, they started their own record company, GL Music. They also sang with Frank Sinatra on his 70th birthday tour and on his album Duets II (1994). In 1997, they even recorded a cover of "Black Hole Sun" by the rock band Soundgarden.

In 2002, Eydie and Steve announced they would tour less. Eydie retired from performing in 2009.

Personal Life and Family

Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence had two sons. Their son David Nessim Lawrence (born in 1960) is a composer. He wrote music for the movie High School Musical. Their younger son, Michael Robert Lawrence (1962-1986), sadly passed away at age 23. He had an undiagnosed heart condition.

Eydie and Steve were performing in Atlanta when Michael died. Their friend Frank Sinatra sent his private plane to fly them to New York. After their son's death, Eydie and Steve stopped touring for a year.

Death

Eydie Gormé passed away on August 10, 2013, in Las Vegas. She was almost 85 years old. She was buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Lawrence shared a message after her death. He said Eydie had been his partner on stage and in life for over 55 years. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her and even more when he heard her sing. He said the world had lost one of the greatest pop singers ever.

Awards and Honors

Eydie Gormé received many awards for her amazing singing:

• Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for We Got Us with Steve Lawrence (1960)
• Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "If He Walked Into My Life" (1966)
• Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Steve Lawrence, winning the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award (1995)
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special for Our Love Is Here to Stay with Steve Lawrence (1976)
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Special for Steve and Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin with Steve Lawrence (1979)

Albums

Solo Albums

• Delight (1956)
• Eydie Gorme (1957)
• Eydie Swings the Blues (1957)
• Blame It on the Bossa Nova (1963)
• If He Walked into My Life (1971)
• La Gorme (1976)
• Muy Amigos/Close Friends with Danny Rivera (1977)

Albums with Steve Lawrence

• We Got Us (1960)
• Steve & Eydie at the Movies (1963)
• Golden Rainbow (1968)
• Our Love Is Here to Stay (1976)
• Together Forever(1984)

Albums with Trio Los Panchos

• Amor (1964)
• More Amor (1965)
• Navidad Means Christmas (1966)

Images for kids

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  Eydie Gormé in 1962

See also

In Spanish: Eydie Gormé para niños