Sophie Tucker
| Sophie Tucker | |
|---|---|
Tucker in 1930
|
|
| Born |
Sonya Kalish (in Russian, Соня Калиш) January 13, 1887 Tulchyn, Podolia Governorate Russian Empire |
| Died | February 9, 1966 (aged 79) New York, New York |
| Other names | Sophie Abuza |
| Occupation |
Singer Actress Comedian Radio Personality |
| Years active | 1903–1965 |
| Spouse(s) | Louis Tuck (1903–1913) Frank Westphal (1917 - 1920) Al Lackey (1928–1934) |
Sophie Tucker (January 13, 1887 – February 9, 1966) was a Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century. She was widely known by the nickname "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas."
Tucker was born Sonya Kalish (in Russian, Соня Калиш) in 1887 to a Jewish family en route to America from Tulchyn, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire, now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. The family adopted the surname Abuza, settled in Hartford, Connecticut, and opened a restaurant.
At a young age, she began singing at her parents' restaurant for tips. Between taking orders and serving customers, she "would stand up in the narrow space by the door and sing with all the drama I could put into it. At the end of the last chorus, between me and the onions there wasn't a dry eye in the place."
In 1903, at the age of 16, Tucker eloped with Louis Tuck, a beer cart driver, from whom she would later derive her professional surname. When she returned home, her parents arranged an Orthodox wedding for the couple. in 1906, she gave birth to a son, Albert. However, shortly after Albert was born, the couple separated and Tucker left the baby with her family to move to New York.
After she left her husband, Willie Howard gave Tucker a letter of recommendation to Harold Von Tilzer, a composer and theatrical producer in New York, but Tilzer did not want to hire her. Tucker found work in cafés and beer gardens, singing for food and money from the customers. She sent most of this money back home to Connecticut to support her son and family.
In 1907, Tucker made her first theater appearance, singing at an amateur night in a vaudeville establishment. It was here that she was first made to wear blackface during performance, as her producers thought that the crowd would tease her for being "so big and ugly." By 1908, she had joined a burlesque show in Pittsburgh but was ashamed to tell her family that she was performing in a deep southern accent wearing burnt cork on her face. While touring later that year, luggage including her makeup kit was lost, and Tucker was allowed to go on stage without the blackface.
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