Tiny Tim "Over The Rainbow - A Retrospective" (1992)

THE TINY ONE IN THE TULIPS

• Tiny Tim was born Herbert Khaury, and gave his birth date as April 12, 1932. The son of a Lebanese father and Jewish mother, he grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, and was a loner, eventually dropping out of high school. He took his name from Tiny Tim (real name "Tim Cratchit"), who was a fictional character in the classic story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. He is the son of Bob Cratchit. The character is based on the invalid son of a friend of Dickens who owned a cotton mill in Ardwick, Manchester.

• His interest in American popular music (chiefly from the 1890s to the 1930s) began at a young age, as did his desire to be a singer, and accordingly he learned guitar and ukulele. His first performances -- under the alias Larry Love -- took place in the early '50s, and according to legend, he debuted at a lesbian cabaret in Greenwich Village called the Page 3, where he became a regular. Khaury performed at small clubs, parties, and talent shows under a variety of names; his parents tried to discourage him at first, but relented when they saw that not every gig ended in ridicule.

• By the early '60s, he had gained a cult following around the thriving Greenwich Village music scene, particularly after he began to incorporate bizarre renditions of contemporary songs into his repertoire. He finally settled on the name Tiny Tim after, as mentioned, the character in Dickens' A Christmas Carol (according to some accounts, it was suggested by a manager accustomed to working with midgets). Tim's appearance in the film "You Are What You Eat" led to a booking on the hugely popular comedy series Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. He was an instant sensation; whether or not he was seen as an object of ridicule, no one had ever seen anything like him. He appeared several more times on Laugh-In, and became a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, also performing on the Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason variety shows. His eccentric personality became as well-known as his music: he was obsessed with bodily cleanliness, and his distaste for sex seemed logical when paired with his gentle, asexual demeanor.

• A hot commodity, Tim signed a record deal with Reprise and issued his debut album, God Bless Tiny Tim, in 1968. His signature rendition of "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips" became a hit, and the LP sold over 200,000 copies. Striking while the iron was hot, Tim recorded a follow-up, Tiny Tim's Second Album, which was released at the end of 1968. Its follow-up, an album of children's songs titled For All My Little Friends was released in August of 1969.

• On December 17 of that year, Tim married his girlfriend, 17-year-old Victoria Budinger (known as Miss Vicki, in typically respectful Tim fashion), on the Johnny Carson show. The couple later had a daughter, Tulip, but mostly lived apart, and divorced after eight years. Following his wedding, Tim continued to perform around the country, including some lucrative gigs in Las Vegas; unfortunately, many of his business associates took advantage of his naïveté, leaving him with few savings from his run of success.

• By the early '70s, perhaps due to simple familiarity, America's fascination with Tiny Tim had waned. Even after the TV appearances and high-profile gigs dried up, Tim kept plugging away, performing whenever and wherever he could. He recorded steadily for a series of mostly small labels throughout the 70's and 80's.

• He remarried in 1984 to 23-year-old Miss Jan. They lived apart most of the time and the marriage lasted until 1994. Tim joined a circus for 36 weeks. In August of 1995 he married for a third time to Miss Sue, and he moved to Minneapolis.

• During the mid-'90s, Tim raised his public profile with appearances on the Conan O'Brien and Howard Stern shows; however, in September of 1996, he suffered a heart attack while performing at a ukulele festival in Massachusetts. Upon his release from the hospital, he continued to play concerts despite the warnings that, due to the fragile state of his heart, he could die at any moment. While playing “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” at a Gala Benefit at The Woman's Club of Minneapolis on 30 November of that year, he suffered another heart attack on stage. He was led out by his third wife, Susan Marie Gardner (whom he had married on 18 August 1995), who asked him if he was okay. Tim responded, “No, I'm not!” Those were 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.

• Tiny Tim was an extraordinary person who was a good friend with The Beatles, Bob Dylan and other big stars from the sixties. He often been called a novelty act, but despite his lack of hits in the 70's and 80's, always had a big cult following him, and still is a household name to those who loves the music from the 60's.

Track-List in the Comments

More info about Tiny Tim

Tiny Tim on YouTube:

Tiny Tim singing Tip Toes.." on a American TV-Show in the 70's

Tiny Tim on Johnny Carson

Tiny Tim "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"

Tiny Tim on The Uncle Floyd Show

Tiny Tim & Miss Vicky "Why"

Tiny Tim Interview June 26 1996