The date he was born was April 12, 1932. His parents were a Lebanese man and a Jewish woman. When he was five years old, his father brought home an old wind-up gramophone and a record of Henry Burr singing "Beautiful Ohio." Later, more old records were obtained. Young Herbert Khaury fell in love with the old songs, stretching back to the early 20th century. He soon became an authority on early popular music that made it onto 78's.
Herbert obtained a ukulele and learned to play it. He would spend hours singing the old refrains in his natural mid-baritone voice. By the mid 1950's, he was playing in small clubs throughout New York. Sometimes the crowds would laugh at him. Sometimes they would laugh WITH him. And sometimes, he would simply bowl them over with his unconventional appearance and his ukulele.
In 1968, a rather strange film was released called You Are What You Eat. The movie was a celebration of the Flower Power generation and their music, and featured performances by the likes of David Crosby, Frank Zappa, Barry McGuire, and a narrator/performer who had, in 1962, begun calling himself Tiny Tim. One particularly memorable performance involved Tiny Tim and a female singer performing "I Got You Babe," with Tim singing Cher's lines in falsetto, Eleanor Barooshian singing Sonny's lines in baritone.
The film was spotted by the producers of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, who booked Tiny Tim for an appearance.
He was an absolute sensation. TV audiences had never seen anything like the gentle long-haired singer with the pasty white makeup and the voice that went places that a voice simply wasn't supposed to go. I hesitate to post YouTube links, the way they get yanked for various silly copyright objections, but here's some footage of a Laugh-In appearance by Mr. Tim.
Again, many in the audience laughed at him, but many others were taken by his unconventional talent. And sadly, not many of them delved deeper to discover the encyclopedic knowledge of 20th century popular music that the man possessed.
The Laugh-In appearances led to more on the likes of Sullivan's, Jackie Gleason's, and Carson's shows. Comedians feasted on Tiny Tim and spread his fame even farther. By 1969, he was one of the most recognizable performers the world had ever heard of. Far from a one-shot wonder, his popularity grew as the 60's progressed.
He released three albums during the decade, which sold modestly well. His single "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sold 200,000 copies. In 1969, he announced that he was getting married to his girlfriend, Miss Vicki, on the Tonight Show.
On December 12th of that year, 40 million viewers tuned in to hear the couple recite their self-written vows to each other.
The couple had a daughter, Tulip, before their marriage collapsed eight years later. One Laugh-In gag I recall fondly was that "they are planning on having three children, one of each."
The 1970's saw the public fascination with Tiny Tim waning. However, he had one triumphant final appearance that had him on top of the world. It was at the Isle of Wight Music festival in August of 1970. Some 600,000 people went crazy when, at the climax of his set, he sang "There'll Always Be an England" through a megaphone, Rudy Vallee-style.
As the decade wore on, he continued to grab whatever gigs he could find. He had good success in Vegas. Alas, he was as naive as his stage persona, and he didn't end up making a whole lot of money from his shows. In 1994, he even joined a circus for a few months. In 1995, his profile once again began to be raised in the public perception, with appearances on Howard Stern's radio show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He also landed a role in Stern's movie Private Parts.
In November, 1996, while playing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" at an appearance at the Women's Club of Minneapolis, he suffered a heart attack on stage and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Thus ended the tale of a sweet, naive individual who achieved far more than fifteen minutes of fame, who greatly enjoyed what he did, and who left a legacy of doing your own thing, no matter how unorthodox.
Comments (12)
A wonderful, informative, recollection of one of the puzzle parts of our collective Boomer Snapshot.
Thanks for including a post about Tiny Tim on your site.
Posted by NCeddie | January 10, 2010 8:33 AM
Posted on January 10, 2010 08:33
Tiny Tim...not some one that you think of every day, but for sure, someone that you remember from the flower power children.
I also remember his wedding to Miss Vicky, on the tonight show. I would not have missed it for any thing...
Thanks for the memories.
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Posted by Sharon/Baby Boomer Queen | January 10, 2010 11:27 AM
Posted on January 10, 2010 11:27
I was at least 9 when I first saw Tiny Tim. At the time, I did not grasp it well. I thought he was just being silly and did not care for it. But I remember what a sensation he stirred from a brief time of a couple year or so. But the 60s people loved a gimmick or a fad. We've always been sort of faddish, haven't we?
I remember that Laugh-In was always starting some sort of catchy phrase that would sweep the nation and end up printed on novelty items. "Sock it to me" "Here come the judge" and the like.
Tiny Tim had a little more depth when you know his history. Thanks for that, Ron. My favorite Herb of the 60s was Herb Alpert. Born of East European Jewish parents, Herb developed a wonderful sense of trumpet music. He created a sound that seemed to connect with both old and young, a not so easy thing to do. I became familiar with him because of my father buying and playing all his LPs. Herb was right up there with the Beatles and Monkees. To this day, I listen to his 1st four now CDs and nothing says 60s like Herb and his trumpet. Herb sort of went off in other directions in the late 60s and never seemed to hit that style that made such an impact with so many different people again. BUt while he did, it was shear heaven.
Posted by Scott Irv | January 10, 2010 9:56 PM
Posted on January 10, 2010 21:56
***Scott Irv***
You are so right about Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass gaining fans from multiple generations. My then 50-something mom finally convinced my dad to buy her one of those long, low stereo sets in mahogany cabinetry for the living room so she could acquire and play Herb Alpert LPs!
Another 60s icon:
comic, Bill "Jose Jimenez" Dana.
Posted by NCeddie | January 11, 2010 9:14 AM
Posted on January 11, 2010 09:14
I had the soundtrack album (still have the vinyl somewhere) from You Are What You Eat in the late ‘60s. I remember it was kind of spacey and I used to play it for friends when we were in various states of wastage. There were interludes between songs with random quotes from ex NYC Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia and other gibberish which added to the general trippy quality of the soundtrack. On a whim I visited Amazon.com and listened to samples of each of the songs. It brought back some memories, and some of the songs barely sounded familiar but Tiny Tim was there, singing the first line of I got you Babe with that inimitable tinny vibrato. I tried to remember what I liked about this album and had to chalk it up to being the ‘60s when times, thoughts & things were different (and boy were they ever!!!)
Posted by Burt | January 11, 2010 6:16 PM
Posted on January 11, 2010 18:16
To NCeddie:
Yes, I knew so many fathers who did not go for the Beatles, really, but loved Herb. But rightly so. Herb was magic. Its hard not to like brass when its his Tijuana style. I also knew some kids, (Our baby sitter) who did not care for Herb. But not all felt that way. Herb is one of my all time favorites.
Posted by Scott Irv | January 12, 2010 12:46 AM
Posted on January 12, 2010 00:46
Wow! People that remember Herb Alpert! I love this site!
Posted by Barry Reed | January 14, 2010 11:52 AM
Posted on January 14, 2010 11:52
To Barry!
Yes, Herb Alpert. He was outta sight, wasn't he? And yes, the site is, too. I'll talk Herb talk anytime you want. Best Album? Maybe South of the Border.
2nd, A tie between:
Whipped Cream and Other Delights and Lonely Bull.
4th, Going Places.
Posted by Scott Irv | January 14, 2010 2:45 PM
Posted on January 14, 2010 14:45
Whipped Cream and Other Delights! Oh my goodness... what a wonderful memory. I remember my older brother going all droopy over that cover!!! I could sit and listen to Herb Alpert blow that horn all day. Beautiful.
Re: Tiny Tim. What a gentle soul. He really did epitomize the Flower Power movement, didn't he. Thanks again for the reminder about this wonderful man who had so much talent and was so under-appreciated during those years. Do you think he was ahead of his time or past his time? I don't know. I just think he deserved better treatment from the main media. Just look at the splash Lady Gaga is getting.
Posted by Patti | January 19, 2010 6:42 AM
Posted on January 19, 2010 06:42
Too bad Tiny and Herb Albert didn't cut an album together...I could imagine that being a little interesting...tiptoe thru the tulips with a double trumpet background and mariachi beat - what a concept!
But seriously, I do have a tale to tell...I went to a little mall, and saw a sign saying tiny tim would be appearing the next day. At first, I felt bad he was playing malls, and then curiousity got the best of me, and I went the next night. A sign said that he would not be appearing...later that night, I heard he died, and that last gig was in minneapolis, after which he was travelling to the Diana Mall, in Homewood, ill....in a way, I'm sad I didn't see his last concert, per him prob being far over the hill at that point....better to have those memories of him in his classic era in all those great tv clips....
and God bless Tiny Tim indeed!
Posted by scott | January 30, 2010 12:01 AM
Posted on January 30, 2010 00:01
To Scott
Interesting post, Scott. I guts one to add to it. Elvis Presley had played at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland Maine. He decided he really liked it here, as anyone who visited us in the 70s did, and decided he would like to play again here. It ended up being his first stop with a new tour, set to begin Aug. 16, I believe, 1977 was it? My uncle even managed to get tickets. But we never got to see him again. He died just before the tour was about to begin. What a drag that was, huh? I had just graduated from high school earlier that summer. It was like the start of a new life for me. All things added together, it was a memorable year.
Posted by Scott Irv | January 30, 2010 7:13 PM
Posted on January 30, 2010 19:13
Tiny Tim is a classic! Or I should say Tip Toe was! I have to admit, I have heard the interviews on Stern's show and always loved his segments! Seems that he was probably pretty brilliant and the his persona an act? Either way, he was a pop culture icon!
Posted by Rivers End | January 31, 2010 6:24 PM
Posted on January 31, 2010 18:24