Tiny
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 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.
Also
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.