Tiny Tim (musician)

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Tiny Tim

Background information
Birth name Herbert Khaury
Born April 12, 1932(1932-04-12)
Origin New York, New York, U.S.
Died November 30, 1996 (aged 64) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres Nostalgic Traditional pop, Comedy, Outsider music
Occupations Singer, Musical, archivist
Instruments Ukulele, guitar
Years active 1968–1996
Labels Reprise Records, Rhino Handmade, Rounder Records, Seeland Records
For other uses of "Tiny Tim", see Tiny Tim (disambiguation).

Herbert Khaury (April 12, 1932 – November 30, 1996), better known by the stage name Tiny Tim, was an American singer, ukulele player, and musical archivist. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice (though his normal singing voice was in a standard male range). He was generally regarded as a novelty act, though his records indicate his wide knowledge of American songs. He had no official middle name, though some web sites report it to be "Butros", his father's first name, while during his televised wedding his middle name was given as "Buckingham". His headstone reads "Khaury/Herbert B/Tiny Tim/1932-1996".[1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Rise to Fame

Tiny Tim was born in New York City and grew up in an old apartment building in Washington Heights[2] in Manhattan. He was the son of a Lebanese father (Butros Khaury) and a Polish Jewish mother (Tillie Staff). When he was five years old his father brought home a wind up gramophone and a 78 rpm record that featured a 1905 recording of Henry Burr singing "Beautiful Ohio".[3] Young Herbert immersed himself in the music of the past, listening for hours in his room to Rudy Vallee, Al Jolson, Henry Burr, Irving Kaufman, Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Byron G. Harlan, and Bing Crosby. Khaury began singing and playing the ukulele in his natural voice, but it was not until 1952 that anyone paid him any attention. In a 1968 interview on the Tonight Show, Khaury described the discovery of his high voice: "I was listening to the radio and singing along as I was singing I said 'Gee, it's strange. I can go up high as well.'" He then entered a local talent show and sang "You Are My Sunshine" in his newly discovered voice, and it brought the house down. From there Khaury began to experiment with different stage names like Darry Dover, Vernon Castle, Larry Love, and Judas K. Foxglove.[3] He finally settled on Tiny Tim in 1962 when his manager at the time, George King, booked him at a club that favored midget acts.[3]

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Tiny Tim developed something of a cult following. In the 1960s he was seen regularly near the Harvard University campus as a street performer, singing old Tin Pan Alley tunes. His choice of repertoire and his encyclopedic knowledge of vintage popular music impressed many of the spectators. One admirer, Norman Kay, recalled that Tiny Tim's outrageous public persona was a false front belying a quiet, studious personality: "Herb Khaury was the greatest put-on artist in the world. Here he was with the long hair and the cheap suit and the high voice, but when you spoke to him he talked like a college professor. He knew everything about the old songs."[citation needed]

Tiny Tim appeared in Jack Smith's Normal Love, as well as the independent feature film You Are What You Eat (his appearance in this film featured him singing the old Ronettes hit, "Be My Baby" in his falsetto range; also featured was a rendition of Sonny and Cher's I Got You Babe, with Tim singing the Cher parts in his falsetto voice, along with Eleanor Barooshian reprising Sonny Bono's baritone part. These tracks were recorded with Robbie Robertson and the other members of what was going to become known as The Band. The latter performance led to a booking on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, an American television comedy-variety show. Dan Rowan announced that Laugh-In believed in showcasing new talent, and introduced Tiny Tim. The singer entered, blowing kisses, and sang "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" to Dick Martin.[citation needed]

This stint was followed by several more appearances on Laugh-In and a recording contract with Reprise Records. He made a name for himself as a novelty performer, guesting with Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, and Jackie Gleason. At the height of his career, he was commanding a weekly salary of $50,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" became Tiny Tim's signature song. He sang it in homage to its originator, singer-guitarist Nick Lucas. He invited Lucas to sing at his wedding in 1969.[citation needed]

In 1968, his first album, God Bless Tiny Tim, was released. It contained an orchestrated version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", which became a hit after being released as a single. The other songs displayed his wide-ranging knowledge of the American songbook, and also allowed him to demonstrate his baritone voice, which was less often heard than his falsetto. He did his second recorded version of "I Got You Babe", this time singing a "duet" with himself, taking Cher's part in falsetto, and Sonny's part in the baritone range.[citation needed] "On the Old Front Porch" extends this to a trio, including a boy (Billy Murray), the girl he is courting (Ada Jones), and her father (probably Murray again). Another notable song was a cover of "Stay Down Here Where You Belong", written by Irving Berlin in 1914 to protest the Great War. It is written from the standpoint of Satan talking to his son, and is a powerful condemnation of those who foment war: “To please their kings, they've all gone out to war, and not a one of them knows what they're fighting for… Kings up there are bigger devils than your dad.” (The comedian Groucho Marx also used this song as part of his own act, at least in part to irk Berlin, who in later years tried in vain to disown the song.)[citation needed]

Reprise followed up "Tulips" with another single, "Bring Back Those Rockabye Baby Days", in which he sang this "mammy song" in baritone in the style of Harry Richman, and lapsed into his higher register only for a few moments near the end of the song. The record did receive some radio exposure in America but was not nearly as successful as the novelty song "Tulips". "Rockabye Baby Days" fared better in England, where music-hall songs were still remembered fondly.

Tiny Tim recorded and released two more albums for Reprise, Tiny Tim's Second Album 1968, and For All My Little Friends, 1969, a collection of children's songs. A small record label got hold of some of his pre-fame recordings and overdubbed them with canned applause, creating a fictional "live concert" recording to cash in on Tiny Tim's popularity with an album, Concert in Fairyland.[citation needed]

On December 17, 1969, Tiny Tim married Victoria Mae Budinger (aka "Miss Vicki") on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a publicity stunt that attracted some 40 million viewers. Tiny wrote his own marriage vows, including the promise to be “not puffed up.” He and Miss Vicki made even more news a month later with the announcement that they were expecting a baby, with comedians at the time suggesting the name VicTim. The baby was miscarried, but a subsequent child was born healthy and survived. In contrast to the romance-oriented publicity of their wedding, Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki mostly lived apart, and divorced eight years later. Their daughter, Tulip Victoria, is now married and living in Pennsylvania with four children.

In August 1970, Tiny Tim performed at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 in front of a crowd of 600,000 people. His performance, which included English folk songs and rock and roll classics, was a huge hit with the multinational throng of hippies. At the climax of his set, he sang "There'll Always Be an England" through a megaphone which brought the huge crowd to its feet. This can be seen in the 1995 movie of the event, Message to Love.[citation needed]

[edit] Later career

After the career highlight in England, however, Tiny Tim's television appearances dwindled, and his popularity began to wane. He continued to play around the United States, making several lucrative appearances in Las Vegas. In 1985, he hired a teenage disc jockey named Rick Hendrix from WHKY in North Carolina to manage his dates.[citation needed] Living at the Olcott Hotel in New York City, the duo began to revive the once-famous icon. Tiny Tim released the song, "Santa Claus Has Got the Aids This Year",[4] and joined the Alan C. Hill circus. In 1986/87 he starred as a ukulele-playing psycho clown in the cult B-grade horror film Blood Harvest (1987), directed by Bill Rebane.

In 1988, Tiny Tim released a country single for the Nashville-based NLT records entitled "Leave Me Satisfied". He spent time promoting it to country radio and fans that year, and made a visit to Nashville during Country Music Fan Fair, now called the CMA Music Festival.

In the 1990s, as interest in Tiny Tim picked up slightly, he began to release records again, including I Love Me (1993) and Girl (1996). He also recorded his last music video with NYC's punk rock band Ism[5] (1996). The recording was a punk remake of “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” but was never officially released. He made several appearances on The Howard Stern Radio Show, made a cameo in Stern's film, Private Parts (1997), and occasionally appeared on other television programs. Tim also worked with a number of other artists, including Brave Combo (his backing band on Girl) as well as Sydney based rock band His Majesty with whom he recorded the albums Tiny Tim Rock and Tiny Tim's Christmas Album, both of which were produced by Sydney artist and writer Martin Sharp. He was also championed by, and collaborated with, the bands Current 93 and Nurse With Wound.[citation needed]

[edit] Final years

Tiny Tim's tomb at Lakewood Mausoleum and reflection of stained-glass window

Toward the end of his life, Tiny Tim became a fixture at "Spooky World", an annual Halloween-themed exposition in Massachusetts, just outside Boston. He also appeared in tongue-in-cheek television commercials for area merchants. He befriended a young musician and neighbor, Conductor Jack Norton, acted as his mentor, and taught Norton how to play the ukulele.[citation needed]

In September 1996, he suffered a heart attack just as he began singing at a ukulele festival at the Montague Grange Hall (often confused in accounts of the incident with the nearby Montague Bookmill, at which he had recorded a video interview earlier that same day) in Montague, Massachusetts and was hospitalized at the nearby Franklin County Medical Center in Greenfield for approximately three weeks before being discharged with strong admonitions to no longer perform due to his frail health and the difficulty of proper dietary needs for his diabetic and heart conditions.[citation needed] He continued to play concerts despite the warnings that, due to the fragile state of his heart, he could die at any moment. While playing at a Gala Benefit at The Woman's Club of Minneapolis on November 30, 1996, he suffered another heart attack on stage singing the song that started and ended it all, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips". He was led out by his third wife, Susan Marie Gardner ("Miss Sue", whom he had married on August 18, 1995) who asked if he was okay. He responded, "No, I'm not."[citation needed]

He collapsed shortly thereafter and was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died after doctors tried to resuscitate him for an hour and fifteen minutes. He is interred in the mausoleum of Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

In 2000, the Rhino Handmade label released the posthumous Tiny Tim Live at the Royal Albert Hall. This recording had been made in 1968 at the height of Tiny Tim's fame, but Reprise Records never released it. It sat on the shelf until its limited internet release some 32 years later. The limited-numbered CD sold out and was reissued on Rhino's regular label. It is now available in record stores and through many online retailers. In 2009, the Collector's Choice label released "I've Never Seen A Straight Banana", recorded in 1976 by Richard Barone at age 16. The album is a collection of rare recordings of some of Tiny Tim's favorite songs from 1878 through the 1930s, along with some of his own compositions.[citation needed]

[edit] Traditionalism

Much of his work was reviving songs and artists of past generations, including early recording artists such as Billy Murray, Ada Jones, and Henry Burr. He had a comprehensive knowledge of pre-rock popular music, an aspect of his performance that was little understood when he was at the height of his popularity.[citation needed]

His flamboyant stage persona belied a conservative, traditional belief system about religion and marriage. He was born to a Polish Jewish mother and a Lebanese Maronite Catholic father, and was raised in his father's faith. After attending a Jack Wyrtzen rally, he reportedly became a devout evangelical Christian.[6] On several of his records and interviews, he often proclaimed his devotion to Jesus.[citation needed] His first marriage (to Miss Vicki) ended in part due to problems arising from his conservative views, stemming from his interpretation of the Bible regarding a woman's role in relationships. As Miss Vicki explained in interviews, their disparities in age and world view made her feel stifled. His second marriage, on June 26, 1984, was to Jan Alweiss (from whom he was divorced in 1995). Along those traditional lines, he was openly respectful of his parents' generation of performers. In an appearance with Bing Crosby on The Hollywood Palace, he referred to the program's host several times as "Mister Crosby". When Crosby asked him to call him Bing, he partially relented and called him "Mister Bing".[citation needed]

When discussing old-time stars in short commentaries between songs on his albums, Tim would mention their names formally: "Mister Billy Murray" or "Miss Ada Jones", for example. When he appeared on the Howard Stern Show, he addressed everyone as "Mister" or "Miss", including production staff, interns and others who were not entertainers. His respect for elders was reflected on the cover of his second album,[7] which featured him along with his parents.

[edit] In popular culture

  • Tiny Tim is mentioned in two novels by Thomas Pynchon: Vineland (p. 309) and Inherent Vice (p. 108).
  • Tiny Tim starred in 1987 video along with members of the 1987 Cleveland Browns and local Cleveland musicians "The Michael Stanley Band" titled "Masters of the Gridiron", a video to commemorate the 1986 Browns season.
  • The song Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight (Sherman/Lewis) was used in the first episode ("Help Wanted") of SpongeBob SquarePants.
  • Tiny Tim made a brief appearance in The Ren and Stimpy Show Christmas comic book special saying "God Bless Us Everyone" - a play on the original Dickens character.
  • Tiny Tim appeared on a 1993 episode of WWF Monday Night Raw in a "King's Court" segment. Tim called Jerry "The King" Lawler a "Dairy Queen" which prompted The King to smash Tim's ukulele.
  • Tiny Tim appeared in the episode "Construction Junction" (Season 8, Episode 16) of Roseanne. He is teaching David Healy how to play the ukulele, when Dan Conner enters and destroys both instruments. He takes out another ukulele, saying in his normal voice, "This happens to me a lot." The sequence occurs during the closing credits.
  • An image of Tim's face appeared on Poison Idea's 1990 album Feel the Darkness with a gun being held to his forehead. He later attempted to sue the band, but gave up after discovering they did not have any money.
  • Jeff Feuerzeig, director of The Devil and Daniel Johnston is currently developing a Hollywood motion picture based on his life.
  • In 1996, Tiny Tim lent his voice to a remake of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" by the punk rock band Ism.[8]
  • In the 1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine Ringo is heard singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips".
  • In Woody Allen's film The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Woody's character C.W., before leaving his job, is heard saying "God Bless America and God Bless Tiny Tim".
  • Tiny Tim made a brief cameo appearance in the 1997 Howard Stern movie, Private Parts
  • In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (renamed Sorcerer's Stone in the US) Uncle Vernon hums "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" while boarding up his doors.

[edit] Books

  • Tiny Tim, a biography by Harry Stein, was published in 1976 by Playboy Press.

[edit] Discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Find-a-Grave photo of Tiny Tim's gravestone
  2. ^ Is This A Face That Only A Mother Could Love?
  3. ^ a b c Tiny Tim Memorial Site
  4. ^ Tiny Tim - "Santa Claus Has Got the Aids This Year"
  5. ^ MySpace.com
  6. ^ Tiny Tim Question and Answer
  7. ^ Freewebs.com
  8. ^ YouTube performance of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" by Ism, a punk rock band
  9. ^ Collectors' Choice Records
  10. ^ Collectors' Choice Music

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Tim_(musician)"