I don't think the obits are doing a good enough job describing the length and breadth of Eydie Gorme's career. She had been a singing star before she married Steve Lawrence in 1957 and they became a (mostly) inseparable team. Does anyone have a list of how many records they made, individually and collectively? It's a much bigger number than you might imagine. They were fine entertainers, much loved and respected in the business and by the public, and if there were bad stories about either, I never heard them. They just kept working and working and working.
I never met either one but I saw them perform once in Las Vegas. It was a very good show that sent the audience out very happy and it was easy to see why they were always, in those days, performing somewhere. I hope Steve is well enough to carry on. We all hope that, I'm sure.
My favorite Steve/Eydie song was a single they released initially under the names "Parker and Penny." It was an Israeli hit they came across and as I remember the story, they wanted to put it out as a single in the United States but were afraid that their names, associated as they were with entertainment for the older generation, would prevent Top 40 success. So they put it out with the bogus names and the hope was that it would become successful and then when it was revealed who was really behind it, all would have a good laugh and a point would be made about ageism or prejudice or something.
But the record didn't catch on and before long, Steve and Eydie were taking turns, going on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to "leak" the secret and then perform the number. Eydie would go on as a single guest, talk about it and then go sing it…with Steve suddenly appearing as a surprise to join her in it. A week or two later, Steve would be on as a single guest and he'd let everyone in on the secret that Parker and Penny were Steve and Eydie, then he'd go sing it…and Eydie would suddenly appear as a surprise to sing her half of it. The song never really caught on but I kinda liked it. Click below to give a listen…