In Memoriam: Steve Lawrence (1935-2024)

I can't remember when I first heard the voice of Steve Lawrence - or, for that matter, which voice of Steve Lawrence I first heard. Maybe it was as a child, spinning my mom's old Columbia 45 of "Go Away, Little Girl," the 1962 smash written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and sung by a smitten young man, his voice sweetly tender. Perhaps it was a few years later as I discovered the original cast recording of Golden Rainbow, a quintessentially brassy, swingin' '60s musical in which Steve (a few years older, too) introduced "I've Gotta Be Me." Though many others sang Walter Marks' anthem - and some even sang it well! - nobody sang it like Steve: confident yet vulnerable, powerful yet relatable, edgy yet smooth. Or maybe I first heard Steve on one of his countless television appearances, likely with his wife and performing partner of more than half a century, the late, great Eydie Gorme. On TV, Steve was cool, funny, quick-witted, and...did I mention cool? He exuded swagger but also warmth; when he began to sing, he could melt butter. The man epitomized class. There was no kind of song Steve Lawrence couldn't sing. Put simply, he made the words and melodies his own by singing them straight, with abundant heart.

Steve Lawrence passed away on Thursday at the age of 88 after a long and valiant battle with Alzheimer's. He leaves behind a rich and varied discography of more than 25 solo albums, nearly that many with his wife Eydie, two original Broadway cast albums, and over 20 Hot 100 hits including the chart-topping "Go Away, Little Girl," and top ten entries "Party Doll," "Footsteps," and "Portrait of My Love." Steve began his recording career on the King label in 1952, and by 1954, he had joined Eydie at Coral Records for duets as well as solo recordings. Steve and Eydie migrated to ABC-Paramount before the fifties were out, and the pair inaugurated a lengthy, lifelong association with the label's A&R head, arranger-conductor Don Costa.

When Costa decamped at the beginning of the new decade for United Artists Records, Steve and Eydie made the move too. Steve found great success with acclaimed concept albums celebrating what would later become known as The Great American Songbook (All About Love, Swing Softly with Me, Songs Everyone Knows, Lawrence Goes Latin), and their first full album together, 1960's jubilant We Got Us, earned husband and wife a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group. Concurrent with their more adult-oriented LP offerings, Steve and Eydie immersed themselves in teen-themed pop to great success which continued when they moved to Columbia Records. "Go Away, Little Girl" was introduced early in 1962 by Bobby Vee, but it was Steve's captivating rendition that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1963. A true crossover success, it also hit No. 1 AC and went to the top 20 on the R&B chart.

STEVE & EYDIE ON 'KRAFT MUSIC HALL'

Departing Columbia near the tail end of the 1960s, Steve and Eydie - so closely linked that Steve once commented, "We were attached at the hip, Steve-and-Eydie; it was like we were one person, to be married that long" - continued to record gem after gem. At RCA, Steve notched major AC hits such as "I've Gotta Be Me" and his ebullient yet wistful rendition of Paul Williams and Roger Nichols' "The Drifter" - sunshine pop at its most moving. Moving to MGM, he teamed with Nelson Riddle for the masterful Portrait of Steve in 1972, bringing conviction to material ranging from George and Ira Gershwin to John and Yoko. Decades later, in 2003, his voice hadn't diminished one bit when he recorded Steve Lawrence Sings Sinatra, a sublime tribute to his friend Frank which featured the orchestrations the Chairman had bestowed upon Steve. Most artists would have invited unfavorable comparisons to Sinatra singing his own charts...but not Steve Lawrence. His final album came in 2014 with When You Come Back to Me Again, a touching tribute to Eydie (who had passed away in 2013).

As they performed well into the new millennium, Steve and Eydie seemingly embodied an era of showbiz gone by. Yet they weathered the changing tides of music by always remaining true to themselves - and to the songs. Steve had championed The Great American Songbook since his earliest days in the recording studio, and he and Eydie kept it close to their hearts, winning Emmy Awards for their television salutes to George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, touring with Sinatra on his 1990-1991 Diamond Jubilee tour, and appearing on his Duets II album. They never lost the willingness to try something new. As Steve remembered to Larry King in 2003, "Disney came to us. They were doing a Lounge-a-palooza type of album and they asked us to do a song that was made popular by Soundgarden...and I said, 'Are you talking about us, Steve and Eydie?' They said, 'We want you to do it in your own way.'" Eydie interjected, "Like a Don Costa arrangement." Steve continued, "We did it: 'Black Hole Sun.'" Their silken ballad version of the 1994 Mainstream Rock chart-topper became a highlight of the 1997 Lounge-a-palooza album.

Steve carved out a parallel career as an actor, deploying his comic skills to gifted effect on The Carol Burnett Show, The Nanny, Two and a Half Men, and The Tonight Show on the small screen and The Blues Brothers on the big screen. "5,000 bucks," his Blues Brothers character Maury Sline asked, incredulously. "Who do you think you are, The Beatles?!?" Steve Lawrence wasn't a Beatle, but as one half of "Steve-and-Eydie," he entertained audiences the world over for a career spanning nearly 70 years.

I never had the opportunity to meet Steve Lawrence, though I'll always cherish my memories of seeing him and Eydie in concert over the years doing what they did best. It's a privilege and a thrill for this kid who grew up on Steve and Eydie to have written liner notes for a number of releases overseen by their beloved son David to celebrate their extraordinary legacy. When they shared the stage together, love was palpable both onstage and in the audience. That same love is every bit as powerful today when their music plays. Though Steve is much missed here on Earth, I've no doubt that he and Eydie are back together and filling the heavens with beautiful music - and will, forever and ever.

Ten Solo Hidden Gems from Steve Lawrence:

"Bewitched" (Jack Keller/Howard Greenfield)

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others.He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders.Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

In Memoriam: Steve Lawrence (1935-2024) - The Second Disc (2024)

Joe Marchese