Eydie Gorme was born in New York on August 16, 1928 to Sephardic Jewish parents. Her father, Nessim Garmezano, was a tailor, from Sicily, who changed his last name when he arrived in the United States. Gorme began singing straight out of high school, with various big bands. But her big break came after she auditioned for, and joined, "The Tonight! (1953) Show" in 1953. There, for $90 a week, she sang solos and sang duets with the up-and-coming Steve Lawrence. The two performed on the show for five years, and married in 1957. After their "Tonight Show" stint, the pair had a short-lived TV show of their own, The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gorme Show (1958). Then, Lawrence entered the Army leaving Gorme, a new mother, to frequent the night club circuit on her own. Two years later, when Lawrence was discharged, the couple came to a decision to enter show business more professionally. Their career took off, with audiences drawn to their penchant for the classics in favor of rock 'n' roll, as well as their spontaneous banter.
