Tiny Tim

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Tiny Tim Laugh-InTiny Tim

Herbert Buckingham 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 is most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" sung in his distinctive high falsetto / vibrato voice. He is generally thought of as a novelty act, though his records display a wide knowledge of American songs.

In an interview on Fresh Air he said he wore white makeup to feel pure in contrast to his feeling that he was unattractive.

Tiny Tim's year of birth is unclear; he lied about his age on a number of occasions, and various sources give 1922, 1923, 1926, 1930, 1932, or 1933, although shortly before his death he said he was 64 years old, which would put his year of birth at 1932. According to www.tinytim.org, and photos taken of his passport and birth certificate, and his death certificate, Tiny was born on April 12, 1932.

He was born in New York City, the son of a Lebanese father (Butros) and a Jewish mother (Tillie Staff). According to legend, he first sang in a lesbian cabaret bar. Whether this is true or not, he certainly went on to sing in a wide variety of clubs and bars, as well as entering many talent competitions in an attempt to get discovered. He used a number of pseudonyms, but eventually settled on Tiny Tim, after the character from Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He released several records under these other names before he used the Tiny Tim name. These were all 45 RPM singles issued in very small quantities.

 

Tiny Tim LaughinTiny Tim already had something of a cult following around New York when he appeared in the film You Are What You Eat. This led to a booking on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, an American television comedy and variety show, which turned out to be his big break. Other appearances on the shows of Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, and Jackie Gleason followed, and he made a name for himself as a novelty performer. Apart from his extraordinarily high falsetto voice, his appearance—long curly hair, large nose, tall stature (he was six feet one inch), and his relatively tiny ukulele—helped him stand out from the crowd.

In 1968, his first album, God Bless Tiny Tim, was released. It contained a version of his signature song, "Tiptoe Thru The Tulips", which was a hit when 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. On one track, a version of "I Got You Babe", he sang a duet with himself, taking one part in falsetto, and the other in the baritone range. "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 a powerful condemnation of those who foment war. (The comedian Groucho Marx also used this song as part of his own act, at least in part to irk the patriotic Berlin, who in later years tried in vain to disown the song).

The following year, Tiny Tim recorded and released two more albums, Tiny Tim's Second Album, and For All My Little Friends, a collection of children's songs. In order to cash in on Tiny Tim's popularity, the album Concert in Fairyland was released by a small record label. It consisted of some of his pre-fame songs with faux crowd reactions dubbed over them to create a fictional "live concert" recording.

Tiny Tim Laugh-InAlso in 1969, he married Victoria May Budinger ("Miss Vicki") on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, a publicity stunt which attracted 40 million viewers. Tiny wrote his own marriage vows, including the promise to be "not puffed up." Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki made more news a month later with the announcement that they were expecting a baby. Comedians at the time suggested the name VicTim. Sadly, Miss Vickie miscarried; however a later attempt at childbirth succeeded.

Unfortunately, Tiny and Miss Vicki mostly lived apart and divorced eight years later. Their daughter, Victoria Tulip, is now happily 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.

 

After this career highlight, however, Tiny Tim's television appearances reduced, and his popularity began to wane. He continued to play around the United States and made several lucrative appearances in Las Vegas. By 1985, he resorted to joining a circus for eight months. He briefly lived in Australia, then moved to Des Moines, Iowa before marrying for the third time (his second marriage had lasted for just one month) and moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota. This final marriage also took place on "The Tonight Show," then hosted by Jay Leno.

In the 1990s, interest in Tiny Tim seemed to pick up a little. He began to release records again, including I Love Me (1995) and Girl (1996). He frequently appeared on The Howard Stern Radio Show and in Stern's movie, Private Parts (1997), as well as occasional appearances on other television programs. Tiny Tim also worked with a number of other artists, including Brave Combo (his backing band on Girl) and was championed by, and collaborated with, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound.

In September 1996, he suffered a heart attack just as he began singing at the Ukulele Hall of Fame in Cranston, Rhode Island, but he continued to play concerts when he was released from hospital despite warnings from his doctors that, due to the fragile state of his heart, he could die any moment. While playing "Tiptoe Thru the Tulips" at a concert at the Women's Club of Minneapolis in November of that year, he suffered another heart attack on stage. He was led out by his wife who asked him if he was okay. Tim responded, "No, I'm not!" Those were to be his final words. 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 buried 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 saw fit to never release it. It sat on the shelf until its limited internet-only release some 32 years later.

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