Early life Stevens was born in
Niagara Falls, New York, as Caroline Vincinette LoTempio, to Samuel and Anna Lo Tempio, both descended from Italian immigrants from Sicily. Her most popular solo recording was her
RCA Victor rendition of "I'm in Love Again", written by
Cole Porter. Accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by
Henri René, the song peaked at number 6 on the pop charts in 1951. Her follow-up, "Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?", made it to number 10 later that year, and her next release, "And So to Sleep Again", hit #27. Stevens returned to the US charts in 1959 with the song "Teach Me Tiger", which caused a minor uproar for its sexual suggestiveness and consequently did not receive
airplay on many radio stations. The song peaked at No. 86 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Stevens was best known for her 1963
Atco recording of "
Deep Purple" (music originally composed for piano A
standard that
Larry Clinton and his orchestra and band vocalist
Bea Wain had popularized in 1939 and
Bing Crosby also had a hit recording with, The song won the 1963
Grammy Award for
Best Rock and Roll Recording. It sold over one million copies and was certified
Gold. Nino and April never attained another number 1, as their style of jazz-influenced pop gave way to the
British invasion, especially
the Beatles. In December 1967, Stevens issued a double-sided single of "Wanting You" with "Falling in Love Again". "Wanting You" became a
Northern soul classic. In the Netherlands, the duo enjoyed a No. 5 hit in early 1973 with their version of "
(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story".
Autobiography In her 2013 autobiography,
Teach Me Tiger, Stevens said she was born in 1929. She admitted to taking years off her age, and her brother, Nino, going along with it. This was supposedly due to their competition with younger performers who already dominated the record charts in the 1960s.
Death Stevens died in
Scottsdale, Arizona ==Grammy Award==