By TOM WILLIAMS
Steve Lawrence died yesterday.
One of the most versatile entertainers from an era of “night club singers” (sometimes called “crooners”) that was at its peak in the 1960s, Lawrence had retired from performing in 2019 with the onset of Alzheimer’s.
It was an entertaining period, co-existing with the growth of rock & roll, and the singers who were at the center went on to entertain for decades. They all had hit records. But there are not too many left.
Remember these guys?
Frank Sinatra – known for Love and Marriage, Strangers in the Night, New York New York and That’s Life – died in 1998 at age 82 of a heart attack.
Dean Martin – known for That’s Amore, Memories Are Made of This, Return to Me and Everybody Loves Somebody – died in 1995 at age 78 from emphysema.
Sammy Davis Jr. – known for Something’s Gotta Give, The Shelter of Your Arms and I’ve Gotta Be Me – died in 1990 at age 64 from cancer.
Andy Williams – known for Butterfly, Can’t Get Used to Losing You and It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year – died in 2012 at age 84 from cancer.
Perry Como – known for Wanted, Round and Round and Catch a Falling Star – died in 2001 at age 88 from Alzheimer’s.
Nat King Cole – known for Mona Lisa, Too Young, Unforgettable and Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer – died in 1965 at age 45 from cancer.
Vic Damone – known for My Heart Cries for You, On the Street Where You Live and An Affair to Remember – died in 2018 at age 89 from emphysema.
Tony Bennett – known for Because of You, Stranger in Paradise and I Left My Heart in San Francisco – died in 2023 at age 96 from Alzheimer’s.
Al Martino – known for Here in My Heart, I Love You More and More Every Day and Spanish Eyes – died in 2009 at age 82 from a heart attack.
Bing Crosby – known for Dear Hearts and Gentle People, Harbor Lights and White Christmas – died in 1977 at age 74 from a heart attack.
Eddie Fisher – known for I’m Walking Behind You, Oh! My Pa-Pa, I Need You Now and Dungaree Doll – died in 2010 at age 82 from complications after hip surgery.
Bobby Darin – known for Splish Splash, Dream Lover, Mack the Knife and
Beyond The Sea – died in 1973 at age 37 from congestive heart failure.
Glen Campbell – known for By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, Gentle on My Mind and Galveston – died in 2017 at age 81 from Alzheimer’s.
Bobby Rydell – known for Wild One, Swingin’ School, Volare and Wildwood Days – died in 2022 at age 79 from pneumonia.
There are some from the era who are still alive and performing or recording, with some limitations. That group includes Jack Jones (age 86), Pat Boone (89), Paul Anka (82), Johnny Mathis (88), Tom Jones (83), Neil Diamond (83) and Frankie Avalon (83).
If you have any special memories of these crooners, please feel free to pass them along in comments, below, or Facebook comments.
Frank, Dean and Sammy were generally thought to be at the top of the list. When they teamed up as The Rat Pack they became the hottest show in Las Vegas.
But Steve Lawrence was as good as it gets. He had hit records – Go Away Little Girl, I’ve Gotta Be Me, Footsteps, Pretty Blue Eyes and Portrait of My Love, among them. He received Tony nominations for his work on Broadway.
He not only had a great singing voice, but a powerful speaking voice, too. And he had great comedy timing that he displayed on The Carol Burnett Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show with Steve Allen and various other TV programs. He could also handle serious roles, in shows like Night Gallery, Police Story and Murder She Wrote. Plus films like The Blues Brothers and The Lonely Guy.
He spent a lot of his performing career touring with his wife, Eydie Gorme, a successful singer herself, who died in 2013.
He hasn’t been seen live in five years but videos of his performances and recordings can be found HERE.
Steve Lawrence was 88.
Tom Williams AT LARGE 