Steve Lawrence was born Sidney Liebowitz on July 8 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a cantor and Steve Lawrence singing in choirs in synagogues. It was when he heard his first Frank Sinatra record as a young teenager that he decided upon music as a career. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School, but would often skip school to go to the Brill Building in Manhattan where he would make extra money singing on demos. It was at the Brill Building that he first met Eydie Gormé.
It was in the early Fifties that he adopted the stage name "Steve Lawrence," taking name from the first names of two of his nephews. He competed on the radio version of Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, and won the show's first price. He was then signed to King Records. He was only 16 years old. His first single, "Poinciana," was released in 1952 and went to no. 21 on the Billboard singles chart. His self-titled debut album was released in 1953.
Steve Lawrence was only 18 when he was hired by Steve Allen as one of the singers on his talk television show, The Steve Allen Show presented by Knickerbocker Beer, on WNBC. When the late night show Tonight! (now known as The Tonight Show) debuted on WNBC in 1953, Steve Lawrence made the transition with Steve Allen. It was on Tonight! that he once again met Eydie Gormé. The two would begin singing duets two years later. Steve Lawrence was a regular on Tonight! until 1957 when Steve Allen left the show. He was also a regular on Steve Allen's primetime show, The Steve Allen Show. In the Fifties Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé had their own show, The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gormé Show, that ran in 1958. He appeared on such variety and talk shows as Your Cheverolet Showroom, The Denny Vaughan Show, The Russ Morgan Show, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Julius LaRosa Show, The Patrice Munsel Show, The Bob Crosby Show, Person to Person, The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams, The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Perry Como Show.
In the Sixties Steve Lawrence made his acting television debut in an episode of Saints and Sinners. He appeared as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the TV movie Carol for Another Christmas. He was a guest on such variety shows, game shows, and talk shows as Here's Hollywood, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar, The Judy Garland Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Bell Telephone Hour, The Garry Moore Show, On Parade, I've Got a Secret, The Jack Paar Program, Password, Hullabaloo, The Hollywood Palace, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The John Bartholomew Tucker Show, Gypsy, What's My Line?, The Andy Williams Show, The Joan Rivers Show, Personality, The Steve Allen Show, The Bob Hope Show, The Kraft Music Hall, The Carol Burnett Show, This is Tom Jones, and The Tim Conway Show. In 1965 he had his own show, The Steve Lawrence Show.
In the Seventies Steve Lawrence guest starred on the shows Medical Center, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Night Gallery, Laugh-In, Here's Lucy, Sanford and Son, and Police Story. He appeared on such variety shows, talk shows, and game shows as The Kraft Music Hall, The Carol Burnett Show, The Flip Wilson Show, The ABC Comedy Hour, The Julie Andrews Hour, NBC Follies, The Dean Martin Show, Dinah!, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Sonny and Cher Show, and Sammy and Company.
In the Eighties he guest starred on the shows Hardcastle and McCormick and Murder, She Wrote. He appeared in the mini-series Alice in Wonderland. He appeared on such variety, game shows, and talk shows as The Joe Franklin Show and Tattletales. In the Nineties he guest starred on the shows Bob, Empty Nest, Burke's Law, Frasier, The Nanny, and Diagnosis Murder. In the Naughts he appeared on the shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Cleaner. In the Teens he appeared on the shows Hot in Cleveland, Awake, and Two and a Half Men.
Steve Lawrence made his feature film debut in Stand Up and Be Counted in 1972. He appeared in the movies The Blues Brothers (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984), Blues Brothers (1999), The Contract (1999), The Yards (2000), and Phillips (2009).
In addition to film and television, Steve Lawrence also appeared on Broadway. In the Sixties he appeared in the productions What Makes Sammy Run? and Golden Rainbow.
Of course, Steve Lawrence was best known as a singer, and he had a successful recording career. As mentioned above, his first single, "Poinciana" went to no. 21 on the Billboard singles chart. The following year, 1953, his single ""How Many Stars to Shine," peaked at no. 26. The year 1957 saw two of his biggest hits. His cover of "The Banana Boat Song" went to no. 18, while his cover of "Party Doll" went to no. 5, on the Billboard singles chart. In 1959 his single "Pretty Blue Eyes" went to no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in 1960 "Footsteps" went to no. 7. His biggest hit would be "Go Away Little Girl" which went all the way to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. It would also be his last major hit. Like many crooners, his success on the record charts was impacted by the British Invasion and the rise of rock music.
He released several albums throughout the years, his first being the aforementioned Steve Lawrence in 1953. Of course, he also released albums with his wife and singing partner Eydie Gormé, the first of which was We Got Us with Eydie Gormé in 1960. In all he released over sixty albums, the last being When You Come Back to Me in 2014. Fittingly, it was dedicated to Eydie Gormé, who died in 2013.
Steve Lawrence was among the best of the latter day crooners. He had a velvety voice that spanned two octaves, and he maintained that voice for the entirety of his performing career. He could deliver songs from the Great American Songbook in a way that few others could.
In addition to being a great singer, he was also simply a great, all-around performer. He had a particular gift for comedy, and even his performances as a singer would see him cracking jokes funnier than most stand-up comics. His gift for comedy came to good use in his 39 guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show, where he was more often than not as funny as that show's regular's in sketches. He was memorable as the Blues Brothers' agent Maury Sline in both The Blues Brothers and The Blues Brothers 2000. He also delivered a fine performance in the comedy Stand Up and Be Counted. Steve Lawrence could play more than comedy. In the Murder, She Wrote episode "No Laughing Matter" he played Mack Howard, one half of a former comedy duo who is now a popular late-night talk show host, while his former partner (Murray Gruen, played by Buddy Hackett) has fallen on hard times. Steve Lawrence was a major talent, both an incredible singer and a great actor with a gift for comedy.
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