April | 2016 | Our Awesome Blog

Eydie Gorme Blame It On The Bossa Nova 1963

Gormé enjoyed hit singles of her own, none selling bigger than 1963’s “Blame It on the Bossa Nova“, which was also her final foray into the Top 40 pop charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the UK, “Yes, My Darling Daughter” reached #10. She won a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance in 1967, for her version of “If He Walked Into My Life”, from Mame. The latter made #5 on the Billboard magazine Easy Listening chart in 1966, despite failing to make the Billboard Hot 100. Indeed, most of Gormé’s singles chart success from 1963 onward were on the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary charts, where she placed 27 singles (both solo and with her husband) from 1963 to 1979 (of which “If He Walked Into My Life” was the most successful). As a soloist, her other biggest hits during that period included “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (#17 Easy Listening, 1966) and “Tonight I’ll Say a Prayer” (#45 Pop and #8 Easy Listening, 1969, also her last Hot 100 entry as a solo artist).

She gained crossover success in the Latin music market through a series of albums she made in Spanish with the famed Trio Los Panchos. In 1964, the two acts joined forces for a collection of Spanish-language standards called Amor. “Sabor a Mí” became closely identified with Gormé and emerged as one of her signature tunes. The disc was later reissued as “Canta en Español”. In 1965, a sequel appeared called More Amor (later reissued as “Cuatro Vidas”). Her last album with Los Panchos was a 1966 Christmas collection, “Navidad Means Christmas”, later reissued as “Blanca Navidad”. Gormé also recorded other Spanish albums in her career, including the Grammy-nominated La Gormé (1976), a contemporary outing. The 1977 release Muy Amigos/Close Friends, a duet collection with Puerto Rican singer Danny Rivera, also received a Grammy nomination. As a duo with her husband, the act was billed as Steve and Eydie. In 1960, Steve and Eydie were awarded the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for the album, “We Got Us”. Their biggest hit single as a duo, “I Want to Stay Here”, was written by Gerry Goffin andCarole King and reached #28 in 1963. Under the pseudonym “Parker and Penny”, Lawrence and Gormé achieved their last chart single (#46 on the Adult Contemporary chart) with a cover of the 1979 Eurovision song contest winner, “Hallelujah”. The song most closely identified with the duo, the Steve Allen composition “This Could Be the Start of Something”, never reached the charts, though it remains a staple in their live act. Gormé and Lawrence have appeared on TV, including countless appearances on The Carol Burnett Show, as well as The Nanny. She and Lawrence appeared together on Broadway in the short-lived musical, Golden Rainbow.

Benny Hill – Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)

How the former milkman (inspiration for Ernie?) and one of the most politically incorrect comedians of all time survived the scorn of the women’s libbers to remain a hugely popular funnyman.

Born Alfred Hill, Benny had a love of entertainment from a young age and, at age 16, he left for London to pursue a career in entertainment and comedy.

He immediately got work as a comedian, although not in London, leading a troupe of 12 others.

In 1941, he made his debut in ‘Stars in Battledress’, using his new stage name, Benny Hill.

Hill honed his comic technique in music hall’s across the country, as was the traditional route at the time, before turning his sights to a new technology, television.

Hill was a pioneer performer in television and in the 1950s he hosted a number of variety shows for the only television channel, the BBC.

Hill branched out into cinema in 1956, in the film ‘Who Done It?’ It was not a huge success, but Hill continued to perform in various films, such as the hit ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, throughout his career, although television remained his primary medium.

Hill’s television prominence hit its peak in the late 1960s, with his sometimes controversial ‘The Benny Hill Show’. This was comedy slapstick, filled with Hill’s now famous bawdy jokes and personae, including the infamous Professor Marvel.

The series lasted throughout the 1970s and was sold internationally. Despite attracting controversy wherever it was seen, it gained a loyal following and remained broadcasting until 1988.

Despite being an extrovert in front of the camera, Hill kept his private life private, often avoiding public places. He never married, although it’s rumoured that he did propose unsuccessfully to two women.