When Herbert Buckingham Khaury died in 1996 it was a big news story. And who in 1968 would have ever thought that when he made his major TV debut on the hit show Laugh In using his stage name Tiny Tim that he would have been more than a one-shot novelty act?
After all, he sang the 1920s song “Tip Toe Through The Tulips” in a falsetto voice heavily laced with vibrato (his real voice wasn’t falsetto, but he occasionally used it for impact…and he always had lots of vibrato). He had just one tiny musical instrument. And he had Dick Martin, Laugh-In’s co-star (his partner Dan Rowan was the other) next to him mugging for the camera, reacting to the song.
But Tiny Tim-mania — short as it was, in the entertainment scheme-of-things — was launched and he appeared on Johnny Carson, did a batch of albums and enjoyed a long nightclub/concert career. He had a heart attack hours while performing onstage and died shortly after. His death got MUCH more than a tiny mention in newspapers and on newscasts.
If you’re old enough to remember him, you’ll love the You Tube clip below.
If you’re young enough to think Tiny Tim is only a character out of The Christmas Carol and never saw him — you need to watch this.
You may see his kind on American Idol…but those are usually one-shot deals. Tim/Khaury actually developed a devoted following and was praised for keeping alive many songs from the 20s and 30s (his way, that is).
There were BOOKS written about him. Fans and those who met him found him endearing. He released a slew of CDs. And, in fact, interest in him remains high enough that at the end of this month Reprise is releasing this completely remastered set of all of the songs he recorded for that label.
Now take a moment to watch a truly original entertainer:
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.