Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January , â€" February , ) was a
Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio
personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué
songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during
the first half of the th century. She was widely known by the
superlative nickname "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas".Tucker was born
Sofia Kalish (in Ukrainian, СофiÑ Â«Ð¡Ð¾Ð½Ñ Â» Калиш) in to
a Jewish family in Tulchyn, Podolia Governorate, Ukraine, now
Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. (Sonya is a nickname for Sofia in both
Russian and Ukrainian, as well as for Sofya, the Yiddish form of the
name Sophia.) They arrived in Boston on September , . The family
adopted the surname Abuza before immigrating, her father fearing
repercussions for having deserted the Russian military. The family
lived in Boston's North End for eight years before settling in
Hartford, Connecticut, and opening a restaurant.At a young age, she
began singing at her parents' restaurant for tips. Between taking
orders and serving customers, Tucker recalled: "[I] would stand up in
the narrow space by the door and sing with all the drama I could put
into it. At the end of the last chorus, between me and the onions
there wasn't a dry eye in the place."[citation needed]In , around the
age of , Tucker eloped with Louis Tuck, a beer cart driver, from whom
she would later derive her professional surname. When she returned
home, her parents arranged an Orthodox wedding for the couple. In ,
she gave birth to a son, Albert. However, shortly after Albert was
born, the couple separated and Tucker left the baby with her family to
move to New York.
Ukrainian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio
personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué
songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during
the first half of the th century. She was widely known by the
superlative nickname "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas".Tucker was born
Sofia Kalish (in Ukrainian, СофiÑ Â«Ð¡Ð¾Ð½Ñ Â» Калиш) in to
a Jewish family in Tulchyn, Podolia Governorate, Ukraine, now
Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine. (Sonya is a nickname for Sofia in both
Russian and Ukrainian, as well as for Sofya, the Yiddish form of the
name Sophia.) They arrived in Boston on September , . The family
adopted the surname Abuza before immigrating, her father fearing
repercussions for having deserted the Russian military. The family
lived in Boston's North End for eight years before settling in
Hartford, Connecticut, and opening a restaurant.At a young age, she
began singing at her parents' restaurant for tips. Between taking
orders and serving customers, Tucker recalled: "[I] would stand up in
the narrow space by the door and sing with all the drama I could put
into it. At the end of the last chorus, between me and the onions
there wasn't a dry eye in the place."[citation needed]In , around the
age of , Tucker eloped with Louis Tuck, a beer cart driver, from whom
she would later derive her professional surname. When she returned
home, her parents arranged an Orthodox wedding for the couple. In ,
she gave birth to a son, Albert. However, shortly after Albert was
born, the couple separated and Tucker left the baby with her family to
move to New York.
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