Sophie Tucker
Encyclopedia
Sophie Tucker was a Russian
/Ukrainian
-born American
singer and actress. 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."
Соня Калиш) to a Jewish family in Tulchyn, Ukraine
. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was an infant, and settled in Hartford, Connecticut
. The family changed its name to Abuza, and her parents opened a restaurant
.
She started singing for tips in her family's restaurant. In 1903, at the age of 17, she was briefly married to Louis Tuck, from which she decided to change her name to Tucker. She bore a son with Tuck, named Bert. (She would marry twice more in her life, but neither marriage lasted more than five years.)
and sang burlesque
and vaudeville
tunes, at first in blackface
. She later said that this was at the insistence of theatre managers, who said she was "too fat and ugly" to be accepted by an audience in any other context. She even sang songs that acknowledged her weight, such as "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love".
She made a name for herself in a style that was known at the time as a "Coon Shouter", performing African American
influenced songs. Not content with performing in the simple minstrel
traditions, Tucker hired some of the best African American singers of the time to give her lessons, and hired African American composers to write songs for her act.
Tucker made her first appearance in the Ziegfeld Follies
in 1909, but did not last long there because Florenz Ziegfeld
's other female stars soon refused to share the spotlight with the popular Tucker.
William Morris, the founder of the William Morris Agency
booked Tucker fresh off her Follies debut at his new American Music Hall
. At a 1909 appearance, the luggage containing Tucker's makeup kit was stolen shortly before the show, and she hastily went on stage without her customary blackface. Tucker was a bigger hit without her makeup than with it, and, at the advice of Morris, she never wore blackface again. She did, however, continue to draw much of her material from African American writers as well as African American culture
, singing in a ragtime
- and blues
-influenced style, becoming known for a time as "The Mary Garden
of Ragtime", a reference to a famous operatic soprano
of the era
.
", which came out in 1911 on Edison Records
. The tune, written by Shelton Brooks
, was a hit, and became Tucker's theme song. Later, it was the title of her 1945 autobiography
.
In 1921, Tucker hired pianist
and songwriter Ted Shapiro
as her accompanist and musical director, a position he would keep throughout her career. Besides writing a number of songs for Tucker, Shapiro became part of her stage act, playing piano on stage while she sang, and exchanging banter and wisecracks with her in between numbers. Tucker remained a popular singer through the 1920s, and hired stars such as Mamie Smith
and Ethel Waters
to give her lessons.
In 1925, Jack Yellen
wrote one of her most famous songs, "My Yiddishe Momme". The song was performed in large American cities where there were sizable Jewish audiences. Tucker explained, "Even though I loved the song and it was a sensational hit every time I sang it, I was always careful to use it only when I knew the majority of the house would understand Yiddish. However, you didn't have to be a Jew to be moved by 'My Yiddish Momme.' 'Mother' in any language means the same thing." She also made the first of her many movie
appearances in the 1929 sound picture Honky Tonk
. During the 1930s, Tucker brought elements of nostalgia
for the early years of 20th century into her show. She was billed as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas," as her hearty sexual
appetite was a frequent subject of her songs, unusual for female performers of the era.
Such was Tucker's notoriety and cultural influence that, as late as 1963, three years before her death, Paul McCartney
jokingly introduced the song "Til There Was You" (from The Music Man
) at The Beatles
' Royal Command Performance
at The Prince of Wales Theatre in London on 4 November by saying the song "had also been recorded by our favourite American group, Sophie Tucker". in reference to Tucker's notorious girth (Tucker never recorded the song). McCartney also used the same quip, this time for an American audience, to introduce The Beatles' performance of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' as the finale of their set for The Ed Sullivan Show
at The Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida on 16 February 1964. As there was a lot less audience reaction to the line in Miami Beach, John Lennon
provided the laughs.
as the mother of Judy Garland
's character. In that film, Tucker sings a song during the big finale; even though she is playing a character and not herself, several neon
lights displaying her real name light up in the background of the stage in tribute.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, she made television
appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
, What's My Line, Person to Person
, and The Tonight Show
.
She continued performing in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, until shortly before her death from lung cancer
in 1966, at the age of 80. She was interred at Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut
.
and was elected its president. In 1939, she was serving as its president when it was dissolved by the American Federation of Labor
due to financial irregularities. Its successor was the American Guild of Variety Artists
.
, Rusty Warren
, Joan Rivers
, Roseanne Barr
, Ethel Merman
, "Mama" Cass Elliot
of The Mamas & the Papas
, and most notably Bette Midler
who has included "Soph" as one of her many stage characters (and whose daughter Sophie is reputedly named after Tucker). Probably the greatest influence on Sophie's later song delivery was Clarice Vance
(1870–1961). They appeared many times on the same vaudeville bill. Sophie made her first recordings in 1910, and Clarice made her final records in 1909. Clarice had perfected and was known for her subtle narrative talk-singing style that Sophie later used to her advantage when her vocal range became increasingly limited. At the time that Clarice Vance was using the narrative style it was unique to her among women entertainers.
Tucker was also briefly mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Roxie" from the musical
Chicago
, and was cited as the main influence for the character of Matron "Mama" Morton.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
/Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and actress. 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
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"The Last of the Red Hot Mamas."
Personal
Tucker was born Sonya Kalish (RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Соня Калиш) to a Jewish family in Tulchyn, Ukraine
Tulchyn
Tulchin , Latin Tulcinum, ) is a small city in the Vinnytsya Oblast of western Ukraine, former Podolia. It is the administrative center of the Tulchynsky Raion , and was the chief centre of the Southern Society of the Decembrists, Pavel Pestel was located there during planning of the rebellion...
. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was an infant, and settled in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. The family changed its name to Abuza, and her parents opened a restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
.
She started singing for tips in her family's restaurant. In 1903, at the age of 17, she was briefly married to Louis Tuck, from which she decided to change her name to Tucker. She bore a son with Tuck, named Bert. (She would marry twice more in her life, but neither marriage lasted more than five years.)
Career
Tucker played pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and sang burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
tunes, at first in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
. She later said that this was at the insistence of theatre managers, who said she was "too fat and ugly" to be accepted by an audience in any other context. She even sang songs that acknowledged her weight, such as "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love".
She made a name for herself in a style that was known at the time as a "Coon Shouter", performing African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
influenced songs. Not content with performing in the simple minstrel
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
traditions, Tucker hired some of the best African American singers of the time to give her lessons, and hired African American composers to write songs for her act.
Tucker made her first appearance in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1909, but did not last long there because Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
's other female stars soon refused to share the spotlight with the popular Tucker.
William Morris, the founder of the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
booked Tucker fresh off her Follies debut at his new American Music Hall
American Music Hall
The American Music Hall, also known as the American Theater until 1908, was a Broadway venue, on the 42nd street. It was designed by the architect Charles C. Haight, and had a capacity of 2065....
. At a 1909 appearance, the luggage containing Tucker's makeup kit was stolen shortly before the show, and she hastily went on stage without her customary blackface. Tucker was a bigger hit without her makeup than with it, and, at the advice of Morris, she never wore blackface again. She did, however, continue to draw much of her material from African American writers as well as African American culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, singing in a ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
- and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-influenced style, becoming known for a time as "The Mary Garden
Mary Garden
Mary Garden , was a Scottish operatic soprano with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century...
of Ragtime", a reference to a famous operatic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
of the era
Era
An era is a commonly used word for long period of time. When used in science, for example geology, eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined length, such as for example the Mesozoic era from 252 Ma–66 Ma, delimited by a start event and an end event. When used in...
.
Recordings
Tucker made several popular recordings. They included "Some of These DaysSome of These Days
"Some of These Days" is a popular song published in 1910 associated with Sophie Tucker.-Background:Originally written and composed by Shelton Brooks for the “Last of the Red-Hot Mamas”, "Some of These Days" became a signature song for Sophie Tucker, who made the first of her several recordings of...
", which came out in 1911 on Edison Records
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
. The tune, written by Shelton Brooks
Shelton Brooks
Shelton Brooks was a popular music and jazz composer who wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century.Brooks was born in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada...
, was a hit, and became Tucker's theme song. Later, it was the title of her 1945 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
.
In 1921, Tucker hired pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and songwriter Ted Shapiro
Ted Shapiro
Ted Shapiro was a United States popular music composer, pianist, and sheet music publisher.Shapiro was born in New York City. He became a Tin Pan Alley songwriter and accompanied notable star vaudeville singers of the day, including Nora Bayes and Eva Tanguay. In 1921 he was hired as accompanist...
as her accompanist and musical director, a position he would keep throughout her career. Besides writing a number of songs for Tucker, Shapiro became part of her stage act, playing piano on stage while she sang, and exchanging banter and wisecracks with her in between numbers. Tucker remained a popular singer through the 1920s, and hired stars such as Mamie Smith
Mamie Smith
-External links:* African American Registry* with photos* with .ram files of her early recordings* NPR special on the selection on "Crazy Blues" to the 2005...
and Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
to give her lessons.
In 1925, Jack Yellen
Jack Yellen
Jack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter.-Life and career:Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. The oldest of seven children, he was raised in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school...
wrote one of her most famous songs, "My Yiddishe Momme". The song was performed in large American cities where there were sizable Jewish audiences. Tucker explained, "Even though I loved the song and it was a sensational hit every time I sang it, I was always careful to use it only when I knew the majority of the house would understand Yiddish. However, you didn't have to be a Jew to be moved by 'My Yiddish Momme.' 'Mother' in any language means the same thing." She also made the first of her many movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
appearances in the 1929 sound picture Honky Tonk
Honky Tonk (1929 film)
Honky Tonk is a 1929 American musical film starring Sophie Tucker in her film debut. The film was a flop when released and is now lost, although the soundtrack for the trailer still exists...
. During the 1930s, Tucker brought elements of nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
for the early years of 20th century into her show. She was billed as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas," as her hearty sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
appetite was a frequent subject of her songs, unusual for female performers of the era.
Such was Tucker's notoriety and cultural influence that, as late as 1963, three years before her death, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
jokingly introduced the song "Til There Was You" (from The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
) at The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
at The Prince of Wales Theatre in London on 4 November by saying the song "had also been recorded by our favourite American group, Sophie Tucker". in reference to Tucker's notorious girth (Tucker never recorded the song). McCartney also used the same quip, this time for an American audience, to introduce The Beatles' performance of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' as the finale of their set for The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
at The Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida on 16 February 1964. As there was a lot less audience reaction to the line in Miami Beach, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
provided the laughs.
Films
She made numerous popular film appearances, including Broadway Melody of 1938Broadway Melody of 1938
Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical tradition...
as the mother of Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
's character. In that film, Tucker sings a song during the big finale; even though she is playing a character and not herself, several neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
lights displaying her real name light up in the background of the stage in tribute.
Radio
In 1938-1939, she had her own radio program, Sophie Tucker and Her Show, broadcasting for 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. She made numerous guest appearances on such programs as The Andrews Sisters, The Radio Hall of Fame, and Ben Bernie, The Old Maestro.Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, What's My Line, Person to Person
Person to Person
Person to Person was a popular television program in the United States that ran from 1953 to 1961. Well-respected news reporter Edward R. Murrow hosted it until 1959, interviewing celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio Person to Person was a popular television...
, and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
.
She continued performing in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, until shortly before her death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1966, at the age of 80. She was interred at Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag...
.
Theatre
- Louisiana Lou (1911) (BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
) - Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1924 (1924) (Broadway)
- Leave It to Me!Leave It to Me!Leave It to Me! is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The "book" was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the play Clear All Wires by the Spewacks...
(1938) (Broadway) - High Kickers (1941) (Broadway)
Filmography
- Honky TonkHonky Tonk (1929 film)Honky Tonk is a 1929 American musical film starring Sophie Tucker in her film debut. The film was a flop when released and is now lost, although the soundtrack for the trailer still exists...
(1929) - Gay Love (1934)
- Paramount Headliner: Broadway Highlights No. 1 (1935) (short subject)
- Broadway Melody of 1938Broadway Melody of 1938Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical tradition...
(1937) - Thoroughbreds Don't CryThoroughbreds Don't CryThoroughbreds Don't Cry is a 1937 film directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their first film together. Cricket West is a hopeful actress with a plan and a pair of vocal chords that bring down the house. Along with her eccentric aunt, she plays host to the local...
(1937) - Follow the Boys (1944)
- Sensations of 1945 (1944)
- Screen Snapshots: The Great Showman (1950) (short subject)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Great Entertainers (1953) (short subjects)
- The Heart of Show Business (1957) (short subject)
- The Joker Is WildThe Joker Is WildThe Joker Is Wild is a film starring Frank Sinatra, Jeanne Crain, and Mitzi Gaynor, and Eddie Albert which tells the story of Joe E. Lewis, the popular singer and comedian who was a major attraction in nightclubs during 1920s to early 1950s....
(1957) (Cameo)
Unionizing
In 1938, Tucker helped unionize the American Federation of ActorsAmerican Federation of Actors
The American Federation of Actors was an early actors union, supported by Sophie Tucker who was elected president in 1938. In 1939 the AFA was disbanded by the American Federation of Labor for financial mismanagement; the AFL issued a charter to the succeeding American Guild of Variety Artists,...
and was elected its president. In 1939, she was serving as its president when it was dissolved by the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
due to financial irregularities. Its successor was the American Guild of Variety Artists
American Guild of Variety Artists
American Guild of Variety Artists is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park shows, and arena and auditorium extravaganzas. It awards the "Georgie...
.
Influence
Tucker's comic and singing styles are credited with influencing later female entertainers, including Mae WestMae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
, Rusty Warren
Rusty Warren
-Early life:Warren was born Ilene Goldman in New York City and adopted six months later by a couple from Milton, Massachusetts. She studied piano at the New England Conservatory of Music and then taught there briefly after obtaining her degree...
, Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
, Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
, "Mama" Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
of The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
, and most notably Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
who has included "Soph" as one of her many stage characters (and whose daughter Sophie is reputedly named after Tucker). Probably the greatest influence on Sophie's later song delivery was Clarice Vance
Clarice Vance
Clarice Vance née Clara Etta Black , "The Southern Singer" was an American vaudeville personality from the late 19th century to about 1917.-Early life and marriage:...
(1870–1961). They appeared many times on the same vaudeville bill. Sophie made her first recordings in 1910, and Clarice made her final records in 1909. Clarice had perfected and was known for her subtle narrative talk-singing style that Sophie later used to her advantage when her vocal range became increasingly limited. At the time that Clarice Vance was using the narrative style it was unique to her among women entertainers.
Tucker was also briefly mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Roxie" from the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, and was cited as the main influence for the character of Matron "Mama" Morton.
Quotations
- "From birth to age eighteen, a girl needs good parents. From eighteen to thirty-five she needs good looks. From thirty-five to fifty-five, she needs a good personality. From fifty-five on, she needs good cash."
- "I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, honey, rich is better." (One of the earliest publications of this in book form, in 1955, attributes this quotation, without the "honey," to Joe E. LewisJoe E. LewisJoe E. Lewis , born Joseph Klewan in New York City, was an American comedian and singer.-Biography:...
. Earlier, the quotation appeared in the 1954 memoir "Men In Sandals" by Richard C. Madden. The quotation has also been ascribed to Gertrude SteinGertrude SteinGertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
, Mae WestMae WestMae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
, W.C. Fields, and others. Earliest non-book reference attributed Beatrice Kaufman, the wife of playwright George S Kaufman, in the form, "I've been poor and I've been rich. Rich is better!"