Born Catherine Louise Stephens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 21, 1932, she was an only child. Her family eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where she got her start as a drummer and singer as a teenager.
Career
Acting
Stevens started out in film in The Interns, where she played the character Didi Loomis, a nurse, and its 1964 sequel The New Interns. She also appeared in The Man From the Diners' Club, which starred Danny Kaye. Stevens had a role in the television movie Let's Switch! and in 1983 appeared in the film Jaws 3-D. She was considered for the title role for the musical Funny Girl in the early 1960s. In her role on Days of Our Lives, Stevens introduced a new song, "You Light Up My Life", to the television audience. It was a huge success, and soon after, Kaye decided that she had to write new songs and create an album: "I knew then that if I got the kind of response from one song, I had to do an album of inspirational, motivational, spiritual-pop music." Stevens appeared on such television game shows as Match Game, Hollywood Squares, Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Price Is Right, Tattletales, and Password. She appeared as a guest star on many series, including CHiPs, Police Woman, and B.L. Stryker. Since 1994, Stevens was a regular on Hour of Power.
Singing
After her big break at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, she went from small audiences to sold-out audiences in New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles. From there, she went on tour with The Rat Pack, Johnny Carson, and Bob Hope.
Stevens married bandleader and trumpet player Tommy Amato. The couple performed throughout the eastern United States. Amato predeceased Stevens. Stevens married Woodrow Maxwell Melvin Jr. in 1977 and divorced him in 1978. She had no children. Stevens lived in Margate, Florida from the late 1950s until 2004. She did public relations for Jack Marquesee, the city's developer. Many Margate residents referred to Stevens as the "First Lady of Margate" because every time she appeared on game shows, she placed a sign next to her nameplate that read "Hello Margate." She promoted Margate as "a great place to live and raise a family." Stevens served as grand marshal in many of the city's parades on July 4, and a city park is named in her honor. When Stevens was home in Margate for the Christmas holiday, she gathered her neighbors and friends and go to the Margate Hospital to sing Christmas carols to the patients. In her last 20 years, Stevens did Christian ministry and only performed Christian or patriotic music. She lived in retirement in Summerfield, Florida. Stevens died at 79 on December 28, 2011 after battling breast cancer and blood clots, according to Gerry Schweitzer, a close friend. She left no immediate survivors.
Vietnam
Stevens went on a USO tour with Bob Hope in 1965. She went to Vietnam with Hope and a group of fellow entertainers to boost the morale of American soldiers. She was quoted as saying "I came back in 1965, and my life was in shambles because of what I saw." In 1985, she made a call to N-E-W-H-O-P-E, a telephone counseling service. She found a new faith in Christianity and started her own ministry. The Brewer Christian College and Graduate Schools awarded her a Doctor of Humane Letters for her humanitarian efforts as well as her role in supporting the U.S. soldiers in Vietnam.
Honors, awards, and nominations
Stevens received a Golden Globe nomination in 1964 for her work in the film The New Interns. City of Margate officials named a park in her honor. Kaye Stevens Park is located 5825 Royal Palm Blvd. in Margate. Margate dedicated a life-size bronze statue of her on April 5, 2016.
