Spotlight: Byrnes & Stevens

Billboard Magazine ran mini-biographies from 1959 into the early 1960’s sometimes providing us with interesting tidbits – Each biography was generally tied to a current release on behalf of the artist

Edward Byrnes and Connie Stevens Spotlight: (“Kookie Kookie Lend Me Your Comb”)

Charted Number 4 Hot 100 – April, 1959

Edd Byrnes

Edd Byrnes and Connie Stevens came together for the recording of “Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) from a 1959 pairing on one episode of the TV show “77 Sunset Strip”.

Edward Byrne Breitenberger was born in New York City on July 30th, 1932.  Edward took his acting last name “Byrnes” from his grandfather “Edward Byrne” in a move to distance himself from a not-so-good relationship with his own father.

He began his career as a model for photo ads as a teenager while still in high school.  Then, in the mid 1950’s he hooked up with a theater group in Connecticut.  Taking a shot at Broadway didn’t pan out and so he turned his attention to Television, landing his first role on a program called “Crossroads”.  Other minor appearances would follow on other TV series before he decided to make his move to Hollywood.

He was cast in several productions – all minor roles.  He would audition for a part in the 1957 movie “Bernardine” but didn’t make the cut (Pat Boone was the choice).  A long succession of minor roles would follow until he took a part in a TV show called “Girl On The Run”.  That was the break he was waiting for – The show morphed into a full fledged series “77 Sunset Strip” with Byrnes (now changing his name from Edward to “Edd”) taking the role of “Kookie”.

Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens was born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia in Brooklyn, New York in August of 1938.

Connie was a versatile actress getting her big start in the role of Cricket Blake in Hawaiian Eye.  As a teen she was a member of a group called “The Fourmost” along with future Letterman Tony Butala.  Then, in 1953 Connie made the move to Hollywood as all good actors eventually do where she would become a member of a singing group called “The Three Dots”.

Her first significant acting role came in 1957 appearing in “The Young and the Dangerous” – a teen flick.

Composing Dream Teams

Connie’s recording career certainly received support from the creme de la creme of Brill Building composers including Carol King with Gerry Goffin, Hal David with Burt Bacharach, Lee Pockriss with Paul Vance – and west coast writers P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, also Jackie DeShannon with Randy Newman.   Connie even recorded one track from the composing “Rogers” – Cook and Greenaway from England – who had recorded as “David and Jonathan” of “Michelle” fame.

Unfortunately their contributions didn’t pay great dividends.

Byrnes and Stevens teamed up for only this one release on Warner Brothers.  Connie is able to effortlessly lapse into her birth given New York accent in her attempt to relieve the obsessed Kookie of his comb.

Byrnes would release a series of singles attempting to capture the chart success of Kookie but the magic was gone.  A follow up minor hit “Like I Love You” listed Kookie’s partner as “Friend”.  There was some controversy as to identity of “Friends” first thought to be Joanie Sommers, then dispelled, then finally confirmed by Sommers that – yes, it indeed was her after all.

Connie’s big hit “Sixteen Reasons” in late 1959 was penned by the husband and wife team of Bill and Doree Post.  The couple wrote “Rawhide” and Eddie Cochran’s “Weekend”

A Friend Indeed – Joanie Sommers

Being signed on for 77 Sunset Strip cost Byrnes several movie roles including “Rio Bravo”, “North To Alaska”, “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Longest Day” due to his WB work schedule.  He would buy out his Warner’s contract in 1963 in an effort to better control his career.  For the remainder of this career it was difficult for the public to let go of Byrne’s “Kookie” character.  TV guide ranked Byrnes as number 5 on the list of “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols in 2005.

Edd Byrnes passed away on January 8th, 2020 at the age of 87.

Connie Stevens lives on today.  Her music career was a bit more solid than Byrnes.  She charted in the Top 10 twice and placed seven songs on the Hot 100 – her final coming in 1965 even though she released songs into the mid 1970’s.  She then turned her attention to acting, then some directing and dabbling a bit in politics.

Edd Byrnes/Connie Stevens Discography (chronological release order)

45 – Paramount – Why Can’t He Care For Me b/w Hit The road To Dreamland – 1958

45 – Warner Bros. 5047 – Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) (with Connie Stevens) Number 4 Hot 100 – Number 30 R&B Charts – b/w You’re The Top – March, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5087 – Like I Love You Number 2 Hot 100 (with “Friend” Joanie Sommers) b/w Kookie’s Mad Pad – July, 1959

45 EP – Warner Bros. 1309 – Edd Kookie Byrnes – August, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5092 – Apollo Number 105 Bubbling Under b/w Why Do I Cray For Joey? Number 108 Bubbling Under – August, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5114 – Kookie’s Love Song (While Dancing) b/w Do It Yourself – Sing With Edd Byrnes (Kookie) – October, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5121 – Yulesville b/w Lonely Christmas – November, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. Promo PRO 101 – Special Radio Spot Promotion Announcements – November, 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5137 – Sixteen Reasons Number 3 Hot 100 Number 10 R&B Charts b/w Little Sister – December, 1959

45 – Faro 596 – Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea b/w Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow (with Ed Davis) – 1959

45 – Warner Bros. 5159 – Too Young To Go Steady Number 71 Hot 100 b/w A Little Kiss Is A Kiss, Is A Kiss – June, 1960

45 – Warner Bros. 5217 – Make Believe Lover b/w And This Is Mine – April, 1961

45 – Warner Bros. 5232 – If You Don’t, Somebody Else Will b/w The Greenwood Tree – August, 1961

45 – Warner Bros. 5265 – Why’d You Wanna Make Me Cry Number 52 Hot 100 b/w Just One Kiss – March, 1962

45 – Warner Bros. 5289 – Mr. Songwriter Number 43 Hot 100 b/w I Couldn’t Say No – July, 1962

45 – Warner Bros. 5318 – Hey, Good Lookin’ b/w Nobody’s Lonesome For Me – October, 1962

45 – Warner Bros. 5380 – Little Miss-Understood b/w There Goes Your Guy – July, 1963

45 – Warner Bros. 5425 – They’re Jealous Of Me b/w A Girl Never Knows – March, 1964

45 – Warner Bros. 5610 – Now That You’ve Gone Number 53 Hot 100 b/w Lost In Wonderland – February, 1965

45 – Warner Bros. 5656 – Something Beautiful b/w Deep In the Night – September, 1965

45 – Warner Bros. 5691 – In My Room b/w Don’t You Want To Love Me – January, 1966

45 – Warner Bros. 5804 – All Of My Life b/w That’s All I Want From You – March, 1966

45 – Warner Bros. 5804 – Most Of All b/w How Bitter The Taste Of Love – July, 1966

45 – Warner Bros. 5872 – It Will Never Happen Again b/w What Will I Tell Him – November, 1966

45 – MGM 13906 – Wouldn’t It Be Nice (To Have Wings and Fly) b/w Cinderella Could Have Saved Us All – March, 1968

45 – Bell 866 – 5:30 Plane b/w She’ll Never Understand Him (Like I Do) – March, 1970

45 – Bell 922 – Keep Growing Strong b/w Tick-Tock – October, 1970

45 – Bell 45,234 – Simple Girl b/w Take Me Back To Roses And To Rainbows – June, 1972

LP – Warner Bros. 1208 – Conchetta – 1958

LP – Warner Bros. 1309 – Kookie – Star of 77 Sunset Strip – August, 1959

LP – Warner Bros. 1382 – Connie Stevens – 1960

LP – Warner Bros. 1431 – From Me To You – 1962

LP – Warner Bros. 1460 – The Hank Williams Song Book – 1962

LP – NBC 36508 – Selections From Cole Porter (with other artists)