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Tiny Tim was a singer and musician who had a hit with “Tip Toe Through the Tulips With Me” and guest-starred on shows like Laugh-In and The Tonight Show.
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Play NowTiny Tim. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 05:41, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027.
Tiny Tim. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Tiny Tim." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 05:41 http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027.
"Tiny Tim," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Tiny Tim," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Tiny Tim [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027.
Tiny Tim, http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Tiny Tim. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
Born on April 12, 1932, Tiny Tim performed as a singer and guitar/ukulele player in 1960s Greenwich Village before making guest appearances on Laugh-In and The Ed Sullivan Show. Known for his distinctive falsetto, he had a hit with his remake of “Tip-Toe Through the Tulips With Me.” His wedding to his fiancée Miss Vicki on The Tonight Show also drew the most viewers in the show’s history. He died on November 30, 1996.
Early Life
Musician Tiny Tim was born Herbert Buckingham Khaury on April 12, 1932, in New York City, New York. His father, Butros Hanna Khaury, was from Lebanon and his mother, Tillie Staff, was a Jewish woman from Poland. Tim was raised in the Washington Heights section of New York City, where he developed a love for American songs and music, mostly from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. An unhappy student, Tim dropped out of high school and learned how to play the guitar and the ukulele.
Career Highlights
Eventually adopting the name Tiny Tim, from the Dicken??s character, he began performing in clubs in the busy Greenwich Village music scene. He also played at talent shows and parties, often using different names. His parents tried to dissuade him from pursuing a career in music, but Tiny Tim was committed. An appearance in the movie You Are What You Eat led to Tim getting booked on Rowan and Martins Laugh In, a hugely popular television variety show.
His high-pitched, falsetto voice, ukulele playing and unusual appearance (Tim was over 6 feet tall and wore his dark, curly hair to his shoulders) surprised Dan Rowan; but Tiny Tim was a novelty hit. He appeared several more times on Laugh In and became a regular on Johnny Carsons Tonight Show. Tiny Tim continued to record, tour and enjoy his celebrity status.
Personal Life
Tiny Tim first married, on the Tonight Show, in 1969, but he and his wife, Victoria Mae Budinger, mostly lived apart. They divorced after eight years and one child, daughter Victoria Tulip. Tiny Tim would go on to marry two more times, each time living separately from his wives.
Death
Tiny Tim suffered a heart attack while appearing at a ukulele festival in Massachusetts in 1996. Released from the hospital after three weeks, he was warned to give up his touring and performing. Tiny Tim chose to pursue his art, however, and suffered a fatal heart attack in Minneapolis on November 30, 1996. He left the stage after performing "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips," his signature song, and died an hour later.
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