Eddie Rambeau

Eddie Rambeau, born Edward Cletus Fluri on June 30, 1943, in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career has spanned recording, Broadway, and live performance across several decades.

Rambeau's professional path began while he was still in high school, when a musical he had written brought him into contact with songwriter and musician Bud Rehak, who became his manager. Performing alongside Rehak at record hops and similar events, Rambeau caught the attention of Plymouth, Pennsylvania deejay Jim Ward, who arranged an audition at Swan Records in Philadelphia. Signed to the label, Rambeau released his debut single, "Skin Divin'", on graduation day in June 1961, adopting the stage name Eddie Rambeau at that time. He subsequently relocated to Philadelphia, where Swan Records was headquartered.

In 1962, Rambeau recorded two additional singles, "My Four Leaf Clover Love" and "Summertime Guy." The latter, written by Chuck Barris, was pulled from all ABC radio and television affiliates after it was determined that Barris's employment at ABC created a potential FCC conflict of interest. Rambeau had been moments away from performing the song on American Bandstand when deejay Dick Biondi informed him he would need to perform the record's B side instead. Barris later reworked the song as an instrumental theme for his television program The Newlywed Game. Later that year, "The Push and Kick," co-written by Rambeau with Frank Slay Jr. and Rehak, became a Top 40 hit for Mark Valentino in December 1962.

During 1963, Rambeau began a songwriting collaboration with Bob Crewe, also affiliated with Swan Records. That partnership produced "Navy Blue," written by Rambeau, Rehak, and Crewe for a newly discovered singer named Diane Renay. Released in early 1964, the song reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Renay's first and biggest hit. Rambeau and Rehak followed it with Renay's next single, "Kiss Me, Sailor," which reached the Top 40. That same year, Rambeau moved from Pennsylvania to New York City to work within Crewe's organization as a staff songwriter and singer. Among the other artists who recorded his compositions were Dee Dee Sharp, Shirley Matthews, The Four Seasons, Engelbert Humperdinck, the Shepherd Sisters, and Frank Sinatra Jr.

In 1965, Rambeau recorded "Concrete and Clay" for DynoVoice Records after Crewe brought the song back from the United Kingdom, where it had been recorded by Unit 4 + 2. Rambeau's cover version was released approximately one week before the original reached American shores as a single on a separate label, and both versions entered the United States Top 40 simultaneously. He followed the single with an LP titled Eddie Rambeau Sings Concrete and Clay and made multiple television appearances that year, including two spots on Shindig!, as well as appearances on American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. Subsequent singles, "My Name Is Mud" and "The Train," did not replicate the chart success of "Concrete and Clay," which remains his most commercially successful recording.

In 1968, Rambeau released a recording of "Good Morning, Starshine" on DynoVoice under the name Eddie Hazelton, a reference to his hometown of Hazleton. That same year he began appearing on Broadway, a phase of his career that extended through 1974. His Broadway credits include Hair, the musical Heathen!, and Tubstrip. The connection between his 1968 recording and his stage work proved coincidental: "Good Morning, Starshine" originated in Hair, the very production in which Rambeau would later perform. He also appeared in a production of Jesus Christ, Superstar and made a guest appearance on the television series The Secret Storm. In 1976, Rambeau produced the single "The Big Hurt" by The Front Runners, released on Tom Cat Records.

By the 1980s and 1990s, performing under the name Ed Rambeau, he expanded his repertoire to include easy-listening material and Broadway show tunes, resuming live performances primarily on cruise engagements. During the early 1990s he began recording and distributing his own albums on cassette and CD. He has also pursued photography and painting, and has maintained contact with his audience through personal appearances, interviews, and the internet.