Editing Tiny Tim (musician)

{{short description|American musician and musical archivist (1932–1996)}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Tiny Tim
| image              = Tiny Tim, press photograph of 1969 (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Tiny Tim in 1969
| birth_name         = Herbert Butros Khaury
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1932|04|12}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1996|11|30|1932|04|12}}
| death_place        = [[Minneapolis|Minneapolis, Minnesota]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Lakewood Cemetery]], Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|44|56|9.92|N|93|17|57.277|W|display=inline,title}}
| alias              = {{ublist|Herbert Buckingham Khaury|Dary Dover|Sir Timothy Timms|Larry Love the Singing Canary}}
| spouse             = {{Unbulleted list | item_style=white-space: nowrap | 
{{marriage|Victoria Mae Budinger|1969|1977|end=divorced}} | 
{{marriage|Jan Alweiss|1984|1995|end=divorced}} | 
{{marriage|Susan Marie Gardner|1995}} }}
| children           = 1
| module             = {{infobox musical artist | embed= yes   <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| genre               = {{hlist|[[americana music|Americana]]|[[outsider music]]}}
| occupation          = {{hlist|Musician|musical archivist}}
| instrument          = {{hlist|[[Ukulele]]|mandolin|guitar|violin|vocals}}
| background = solo_singer  <!-- mandatory format: please do not change or remove -->
| years_active        = 1962–1996
| label               = {{hlist|[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]|[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Handmade]]|[[Rounder Records|Rounder]]|[[Seeland Records|Seeland]]|[[Collector's Choice Records|Collector's Choice]]|Ship to Shore}}
}}
}}

'''Herbert Butros Khaury'''<ref name="auto">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=bN3SDwAAQBAJ&dq=Tiny+Tim:+Tiptoe+Through+A+Lifetime,+Lowell+Tarling+born&pg=PT15 Tiny Tim: Tiptoe Through A Lifetime]'', Lowell Tarling, Generation Books, 2013, p. 29, {{ISBN|978-1484138564}}</ref><ref>The Scribner Encyclopaedia of American Lives, vol. 4, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson, 1998, Gale, p. 556, {{ISBN|978-0684804927}}</ref> (April 12, 1932 {{ndash}} November 30, 1996), also known as '''Herbert Buckingham Khaury''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |title=Tiny Tim  |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tiny-tim-mn0000603980 |access-date=December 15, 2023 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> and known professionally as '''Tiny Tim''', was an American musician and musical [[archivist]].<ref>{{cite book
| last = Tranquada
| first = Jim
| title = The Ukulele: a History
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 2012
| pages = 153–4
| isbn = 978-0-8248-3544-6}}</ref> He is especially known for his 1968 hit recording of "[[Tiptoe Through the Tulips]]", a cover of the popular song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me" from the 1929 musical ''[[Gold Diggers of Broadway]]''. Tiny Tim was renowned for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching [[falsetto]].<ref name=bio/>

==Life and career==
===Early years===
Tiny Tim was born Herbert Khaury in Manhattan, New York City, on April 12, 1932.<ref name="auto"/> His mother Tillie ({{née|Staff}}), a Polish-Jewish garment worker, was the daughter of a [[rabbi]]. She had immigrated from [[Brest, Belarus|Brest-Litovsk]], present-day Belarus, as a teen in 1914. His father, Butros Khaury, was a textile worker from [[Beirut]], present-day Lebanon, and the son of a  [[Maronites|Maronite Catholic]] priest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tinytim.org/articles/parade.html |title=Tiny Tim on cover of Parade |publisher=Tinytim.org |access-date=September 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703044818/http://www.tinytim.org/articles/parade.html |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2874700305/tiny-tim-herbert-butros.html |title=Tiny Tim (Herbert Butros Khaury) – The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=September 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Tiny Tim: Tiptoe Through a Lifetime|author1=Tarling, Lowell|author2=Sharp, Martin|year=2013|page=15|isbn=978-1484138564}}</ref> Tiny Tim himself was a devout Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Devotional Life of Tiny Tim|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/devotional-life-tiny-tim-ted-willi|access-date=2021-12-01|website=www.linkedin.com|language=en}}</ref>

Khaury displayed an interest in music at a very young age. At the age of five, his father gave him a vintage wind-up [[Phonograph|gramophone]] and a 78-RPM record of "[[Beautiful Ohio]]" by [[Henry Burr]]. Khaury has passionately praised Burr, telling [[Johnny Carson]] that "the wonderful Henry Burr's" circa-1915 records inspired his own singing style.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X3BBN7Hdp4 |title=Tiny Tim Makes a Very Odd First Appearance {{!}} Carson Tonight Show |date=2022-10-02 |last=Johnny Carson |access-date=2024-07-17 |via=YouTube}}</ref> He would sit for hours listening to the record. At the age of six, he began teaching himself guitar. By his pre-teen years, he developed a passion for records, specifically those from the 1900s through the 1930s. He began spending most of his free time at the [[New York Public Library]], reading about the history of the phonograph industry and its first recording artists. He researched sheet music, often making photographic copies to take home to learn, a hobby he continued for his entire life.<ref>{{cite book | last = Martell | first = Justin | title = Eternal Troubadour: The Improbable Life Of Tiny Tim | publisher = Jawbone Press | year = 2016 | isbn = 9781908279873}}</ref> He grew up in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] neighborhood in [[Manhattan]], where he attended [[George Washington Educational Campus|George Washington High School]].<ref name=NYTobit/>

In 1945, while recovering from appendix removal, he read the Bible and listened to music on the radio. After his recovery, he rarely left his room except to go to school, where he was described as a mediocre student. He dropped out of high school after continuously repeating his sophomore year, taking a series of menial jobs.<ref name=ehollywood>{{Cite episode |title=Tiny Tim |series=E! True Hollywood Story|series-link=E!_True_Hollywood_Story|network=E! |date=March 25, 2001 |season=5 |number=12}}</ref> Around this time, while listening to [[Rudy Vallée]], he discovered he could sing in a high register.  He taught himself to play [[ukulele]] using an [[Arthur Godfrey]] method book.<ref name="Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age">{{cite book
| first= Ian
| last= Whitcomb
| year= 2012
| title= Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age
| publisher= Hal Leonard Books
| location= Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| pages= 114–120
| isbn= 978-1-4584-1654-4}}</ref> He would later describe this period of his life as a "religious experience".<ref name=ehollywood />

===The Singing Canary===
By the early 1950s, Tiny Tim had landed a job as a messenger at the New York office of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] Studios, where he became ever more fascinated with the entertainment industry. He then entered a local talent show and sang "[[You Are My Sunshine]]" in his newly discovered falsetto. He started performing at dance club amateur nights under different names, such as "Texarkana Tex", "Judas K. Foxglove", "Vernon Castle", and "Emmett Swink." To stand out as a performer, he wore wild clothing, grew his hair long and wore pasty white face makeup, partly inspired by [[Rudolph Valentino]].<ref name="gettyimages/1371377379">{{cite web |last1=Keyes |first1=Donald Biddle |title=Rudolph Valentino, publicity portrait for the silent film, 'The Sheik' |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/rudolph-valentino-publicity-portrait-for-the-silent-film-news-photo/1371377379 |website=[[Getty Images]] |publisher=[[Famous Players-Lasky]], [[Paramount Pictures]] |access-date=19 September 2023 |language=en-us |date=1921}}</ref> His mother did not understand Herbert's change in appearance and was intending to take her now-twentysomething son to see a psychiatrist at [[NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue|Bellevue Hospital]] until his father stepped in.<ref name="ehollywood" /> 
[[File:TinyTim.jpg|thumb|140px|Tiny Tim performing at an event in Tennessee in the late 1980s]]
In 1959, he performed as "Larry Love, the Singing Canary" at Hubert's Museum and Live Flea Circus in New York City's [[Times Square]]. While there, he signed with a manager who sent him on unpaid auditions throughout [[Greenwich Village]].<ref name=ehollywood /> At this stage he began performing the song that would later become his signature, "[[Tiptoe Through the Tulips]]". In 1963, he landed his first paid gig at Page 3, a lesbian-run club on the corner of Charles Street and Seventh Avenue,<ref name="hughryan/lesbian-for-mafia">{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Hugh |author1-link=Hugh Ryan |title=Back in the Day, Lesbian Drag Kings Worked for the Mafia |url=https://www.hughryan.org/recent-work/2015/8/3/back-in-the-day-lesbian-drag-kings-worked-for-the-mafia |website=Hugh Ryan .org |access-date=19 September 2023 |date=3 August 2015}}</ref> playing six hours a night and six nights a week for $96 per month. For the next two years, he performed as "Dary Dover" and later "Sir Timothy Timms". After a show in which he was booked to follow a "midget" act, his manager George King decided to bill him as "Tiny Tim" - a name which stuck.<ref name=ehollywood /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Helen |title=Tiny Tim Dies Singing His Hit |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/tiny-tim-dies-singing-hit-article-1.737455 |access-date=December 25, 2015 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=December 2, 1996}}</ref>

Throughout the 1960s, Tiny Tim made numerous appearances in film and television. He had a cameo in [[Jack Smith (film director)|Jack Smith]]'s ''[[Normal Love]]'' from 1963. He also featured in 1968's ''[[You Are What You Eat (film)|You Are What You Eat]]'', singing [[the Ronettes]]' "[[Be My Baby]]" and [[Sonny and Cher]]'s "[[I Got You Babe]]" as a duet with [[Eleanor Barooshian]], in which Tiny took the Cher part.  This led to a booking on the comedy variety show ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In]]''. Co-host [[Dan Rowan]] announced that ''Laugh-In'' "(believed) in showcasing new talent" before introducing Tiny Tim, who arrived on stage with a ukulele in a shopping bag and sang "[[A-Tisket, A-Tasket]]" and "[[On the Good Ship Lollipop]]" while an apparently genuinely dumbfounded [[Dick Martin (comedian)|Dick Martin]] watched.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_bljefIsBc| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627102122/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_bljefIsBc&feature=related| archive-date=2014-06-27 | url-status=dead|title=Video of Tiny Tim's debut on ''Laugh-In''|via=YouTube|access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref> He sang "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" on both his second and third appearances on the show.<ref>{{cite web|title=Video of Tiny Tim's third appearance on ''Laugh-In'' (complete)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5MQbFAGHRE&NR=1| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627102303/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5MQbFAGHRE&NR=1| archive-date=2014-06-27 | url-status=dead|via=YouTube|access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skU-jBFzXl0| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614093342/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skU-jBFzXl0| archive-date=2006-06-14 | url-status=dead|title=Video of Tiny Tim's third appearance on ''Laugh-In'' (song only)|publisher=YouTube|access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref>

===''God Bless Tiny Tim'' and peak of popularity===
[[File:John Wayne Tiny Tim Laugh In 1971.JPG|thumb|left|[[John Wayne]] and Tiny Tim help celebrate the 100th episode of ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In|Laugh-In]]'', 1971]]
His debut ''[[God Bless Tiny Tim]]'' was released by [[Reprise Records]] in 1968. "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" was released as a single and reached No. 17 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] chart. ''[[Tiny Tim's 2nd Album]]'' followed in 1968, featuring a portrait of Tiny Tim and his parents on the cover. This was followed by 1969's ''[[For All My Little Friends]]'', a collection of children's songs that received a 1970 [[Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album|Grammy Award]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web|website=Grammy.com|title=Tiny Tim|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/tiny-tim/14128|access-date=December 27, 2022}}</ref>  Charting singles from this era included "Bring Back Those Rockabye Baby Days" at No. 95 and "Great Balls of Fire" at No. 85 in 1968 and 1969.<ref name="Whitburn Pop">{{cite book| last = Whitburn| first = Joel| title = Top Pop Singles 1955-1993| publisher = Record Research| location = [[Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin]] |year = 1994| isbn = 0-89820-104-7}}</ref>

During this era of Tiny's mass popularity, many pundits and journalists debated whether the "character" that Tiny Tim presented was just an orchestrated act or the real thing.<ref name="bio" />

On December 17, 1969, Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' with 40 million people watching.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-item-tiny-tim-weds-on-televisi/149043210/|work=The Daily Item|location=Sunbury, Pennsylvania|date=December 18, 1969|title=Tiny Tim weds on television}}</ref> At the time, this was one of the most watched television events ever.

After his career highlights in the late 1960s, Tiny Tim's television appearances dwindled, and his popularity began to wane. He continued to play concerts, making several lucrative appearances in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]]. In August 1970, he performed "[[There'll Always Be an England]]" to an estimated 600,000 people at the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1970]]. The UK press announced that he had stolen the show "without a single electric instrument".<ref>{{cite news |title=How Tiny Tim blew my mind: The story of an obsession |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/23lXVV4B9rfL2WgFKfLJ6gy/how-tiny-tim-blew-my-mind-the-story-of-an-obsession |access-date=January 6, 2020 |agency=BBC Arts}}</ref>

In 1973, at the beginning of a tour, a driver who suffered a heart attack crashed into Tiny Tim's van, severely injuring Tim and leaving him with a collapsed lung and several broken ribs. Tim would spend four months in the hospital and the lack of funds from Tim's lack of touring resulted in Tim's then manager parting ways with Tim.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tiny Tim |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320630/ |website=E! True Hollywood Story |date=25 March 2001}}</ref>

When his recording contract ended with [[Reprise Records|Reprise]], he founded his own record label and named it Vic Tim Records, as a pun on the combination of his wife's name with that of his own. ''Tiny Tim'', a biography by [[Harry Stein (author)|Harry Stein]], was published in 1976 by Playboy Press.

===Martin Sharp collaborations===
[[Image:Luna_Park_Sydney_circa_1982.jpg|thumb|right|Luna Park Sydney in the 1980s, the setting for Tiny Tim's record-setting singing marathon]]
In January 1979, Australian artist [[Martin Sharp]] brought Tiny Tim to [[Luna Park Sydney|Luna Park in Sydney, Australia]] to set the world record for the longest non-stop professional singing marathon. This was the culmination of a longstanding collaboration between Tiny Tim and Sharp, who had been openly obsessed with him for years, bringing him to Australia several times, producing his recordings and painting his portrait over and over in different styles. The marathon performance was filmed by Sharp's camera crew and ran for over two hours and seventeen minutes, successfully setting a world record.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tarling |first1=Lowell |title=Sharper 1980-2013: A Biography of Martin Sharp |date=2020 |publisher=ETT IMPRINT}}</ref>

When the [[1979 Sydney Ghost Train fire|1979 Ghost Train fire]] occurred at Luna Park five months later, Sharp became convinced that the fire was in some way theologically linked to Tiny Tim's performance and also set out to prove it was deliberately lit as an [[arson]] attempt. All of this became the basis for the film ''[[Street of Dreams (Martin Sharp film)|Street of Dreams]]'', which serves as both a biography of Tiny Tim and an exploration of Luna Park and the fire. Sharp never finished editing ''Street of Dreams'' in his lifetime and the film remains incomplete, though a rough cut was released for film festival screenings in 1988 and that version continues to circulate online.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Portus |first1=Martin |title=Tiny Tim's Big Comeback |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-tiny-timmarti/138565943/ |access-date=12 January 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 May 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Street of Dreams |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/512060/the-street-of-dreams/ |website=TCM |access-date=12 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Falconer |first1=Delia |title=Sydney, updated paperback edition |date=2020 |publisher=Simon & Schuster}}</ref>

Sharp went on to produce many of Tiny Tim's later records including ''Rock'', ''Chameleon'' and ''Keeping My Troubles to Myself'', and also brought Tiny Tim to perform in Australia several more times throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His all-consuming fixation on Tiny Tim, Luna Park and the fire continued until his death in 2013.

In 2014, standalone footage of the complete marathon performance was released on streaming services as ''The Non-Stop Luna Park Marathon'' by Planet Blue Pictures.<ref>{{cite web |title=Press release, 2014 |url=https://www.bluepierecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PBP-Tiny-Tim-PR-300514-RC.pdf |website=Planet Blue Pictures |access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref> As of 2023, it can be viewed for free on Vimeo.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Non-Stop Luna Park Marathon |url=https://vimeo.com/761655403 |website=Vimeo |date=October 18, 2022 |publisher=Planet Blue Pictures |access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref>

A large mural of Tiny Tim with tulip themes painted by Sharp hangs in the [[Macquarie University Campus Experience|Macquarie University Student Council]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Exhibition highlights 50 years of artistic engagement|url=https://www.mq.edu.au/newsroom/2014/10/02/exhibition-highlights-50-years-of-artistic-engagement/|access-date=2020-07-21|language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Tiny Tim was married three times. He had one daughter from his first marriage to then-17-year-old Victoria Budinger{{spaced ndash}}whom he called "Miss Vicki"{{spaced ndash}}at age 37.<ref name=NYTobit>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/02/arts/tiny-tim-singer-dies-at-64-flirted-chastely-with-fame.html|title=Tiny Tim, Singer, Dies at 64; Flirted, Chastely, With Fame|first=William|last=Grimes|date=December 2, 1996|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731080405/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/02/arts/tiny-tim-singer-dies-at-64-flirted-chastely-with-fame.html|archive-date=July 31, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>  Tiny Tim and Victoria Budinger divorced eight years later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/946831409/?clipping_id=149043503|title=Miss Vicky wins divorce from Tiny Tim|work=Toronto Star|date=October 30, 1977}}</ref> Budinger subsequently had several marriages.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://people.com/archive/thou-shalt-not-kill-vol-58-no-24/|title=Thou Shalt Not Kill|date=2002-12-09|magazine=People|language=en|access-date=2019-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1995-01-29-9501290266-story.html|title='Miss Vicki' tiptoes into New Age boutique|website=Orlando Sentinel|date=January 29, 1995 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-25}}</ref> He married Jan Alweiss ("Miss Jan") in 1984, and Susan Marie Gardner ("Miss Sue") in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://funeral-notices.co.uk/national/death-notices/notice/Tiny+Tim/4069746|title=The obituary notice of Tiny Tim|website=Funeral-notices.co.uk}}</ref> Gardner was a 39-year-old Harvard graduate and a fan of Tim's since she was 12.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://people.com/archive/exit-singing-vol-46-no-25/|title=Exit Singing|magazine=People|language=en|access-date=2019-04-25}}</ref>

==Death==
[[Image:Tiny Tim Lakewood2.JPG|thumb|Tiny Tim's tomb at Lakewood Mausoleum]]
On September 28, 1996, Khaury recorded a video interview at the [[Bookmill|Montague Bookmill]]. He later suffered a heart attack at a ukulele festival at the nearby Montague Grange Hall in [[Montague, Massachusetts]]. He was hospitalized at the nearby [[Baystate_Health#Baystate_Franklin_Medical_Center|Franklin County Medical Center]] in [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]] for approximately three weeks before being discharged with strong admonitions not to perform again because of his health, weight, and dietary needs for his diabetic and heart conditions. He ignored the advice.

On November 30, 1996, Khaury was playing at a gala benefit hosted by the Women's Club of Minneapolis. He had let his third wife ("Miss Sue") know before the show that he was not feeling well, but did not want to disappoint his fans. Before the start of his performance, most of the audience had left. In the middle of performing his last number of the evening — a rendition of his hit, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" — he suffered another heart attack on stage. His wife asked him if he was feeling all right, and he said he was not; she was helping him back to their table where he collapsed, and never regained consciousness.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tiny Tim Dies After Singing "Tulip" Song|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/528062/TINY-TIM-DIES-AFTER-SINGING-TULIP-SONG.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231191453/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/528062/TINY-TIM-DIES-AFTER-SINGING-TULIP-SONG.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2014|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Deseret News|date=December 2, 1996}}</ref> [[Emergency medical technician|EMT]]s performed on-site [[CPR]] and transported him to [[Hennepin County Medical Center]], where after repeated revival attempts, he was pronounced dead at 11:20 pm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tiny Tim is Signing Off: The Tragic Tale of an Artist's Final, Fatal Performance: Twenty years ago, the 'Eternal Troubadour' collapsed on stage|url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/tiny-tim-is-signing-off-the-tragic-tale-of-an-artists-final-fatal-performance-50d6f223b42b#.pzcqrhk7m|author=Martell, Justin A.|publisher=medium.com|date=November 30, 2016}}</ref><ref name=bio>{{cite news |author=William Grimes |title=Tiny Tim, Singer, Dies at 64; Flirted, Chastely, With Fame |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/02/arts/tiny-tim-singer-dies-at-64-flirted-chastely-with-fame.html |quote=Tiny Tim, whose quavery falsetto and ukulele made ''Tiptoe Through the Tulips With Me'' a novelty hit in 1968, died on Saturday night at the [[Hennepin County Medical Center]] in Minneapolis. He was 64 and had lived in Minneapolis for the past year. The cause of death apparently was cardiac arrest, a nursing supervisor, Ellen Lafans, told The [[Associated Press]]. He had been in poor health of late, and collapsed onstage after suffering a heart attack while performing at a ukulele festival in western Massachusetts in September. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 2, 1996 |access-date=November 18, 2012 |author-link=William Grimes (journalist) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731080405/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/02/arts/tiny-tim-singer-dies-at-64-flirted-chastely-with-fame.html |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> His remains are entombed in a [[mausoleum]] in [[Lakewood Cemetery]] in [[Minneapolis]].

==Posthumous releases==
In 2000, the [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Handmade]] label released the posthumous ''[[Tiny Tim Live at the Royal Albert Hall]]''. This recording had been made in 1968 at the height of Tiny Tim's fame, but Reprise Records never released it. The limited-number CD sold out and was reissued on Rhino's regular label. In 2009, the [[Collectors' Choice Music|Collector's Choice]] label released ''I've Never Seen a Straight Banana: Rare Moments Vol. 1'', produced and recorded by [[Richard Barone]] in 1976. The album was a collection of rare recordings of some of Tiny Tim's favorite songs from 1878 through the 1930s, along with some of his own compositions.

In 2009, it was reported that Justin Martell was preparing a biography of Tiny Tim,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/richard-barone-keeps-his-promise-tiny-tim/ |title=Richard Barone Keeps His Promise to Tiny Tim |publisher=The Daily Swarm |date=August 13, 2009 |access-date=September 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718074439/http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/richard-barone-keeps-his-promise-tiny-tim/ |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> released in 2016 under the title ''Eternal Troubadour: The Improbable Life of Tiny Tim''. Martell is called one of America's "foremost experts"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2011/01/amoeba-music/tiny-tim-lost-and-found-out-today-check-out-our-interview-with-tiny-tim-expert-justin-martell.html |title=Tiny Tim: Lost and Found Out Today! Check Out Our Interview with Tiny Tim Expert Justin Martell at the Amoeblog |publisher=Amoeba.com |date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=September 27, 2012}}</ref> on Tiny Tim; he contributed liner notes to ''I've Never Seen a Straight Banana''<ref name=cc>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemid=CCM20582|title=Collectors' Choice Music|publisher=Ccmusic.com|access-date=September 27, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414171141/http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemid=CCM20582|archive-date=April 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the 2011 Tiny Tim compilation LP ''Tiny Tim: Lost & Found 1963–1974 (Rare & Unreleased)'', released on Secret Seven Records.<ref name="secretsevenrecords.typepad.com">{{cite web|url=http://secretsevenrecords.typepad.com/secret-seven-records/2010/10/coming-in-january-2011-tiny-tim-lost-found-1966-1974-rare-unreleased-recordings.html |title=Tiny Tim: Lost & Found 1963–1974 (Rare & Unreleased Recordings) LP (SEC-7-008) – Secret Seven Records, SF |publisher=Secretsevenrecords.typepad.com |access-date=September 27, 2012}}</ref>

In 2013, a biography of Tiny Tim was released in two editions. ''Tiny Tim: Tiptoe Through A Lifetime'' was released July 16, 2013, and is by Lowell Tarling (author) and Martin Sharp (illustrator). Ship To Shore PhonoCo followed up ''Lost & Found Vol 1'' with a ''Vol 2'' featuring Tiny Tim's 1974 live recording of "(Nobody Else Can Love Me Like) My Old Tomato Can" on a limited edition wax cylinder.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://entertainment.time.com/2013/09/09/forget-vinyl-new-recording-is-most-retro-ever/ |title= Forget Vinyl: New Recording Is Most Retro Ever |last= Rothman |first= Lily |date= September 9, 2013 |magazine= TIME |access-date= February 19, 2017}}</ref>

In 2016, Ship To Shore PhonoCo released ''Tiny Tim's America'', a collection of demos recorded by Tiny Tim in 1974 and finished in 2015 with overdubs overseen by producer Richard Barone and Tiny Tim's cousin Eddie Rabin. The album was subtitled "Rare Moments Vol. 2" and was presented as a spiritual sequel to 2009's ''I've Never Seen A Straight Banana: Rare Moments Vol 1.''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/tiny-tims-america |title= Forget Vinyl: New Recording Is Most Retro Ever |publisher= Ship To Shore PhonoCo|access-date= February 19, 2017}}</ref>

In 2020, Swedish journalist and documentary film-maker [[Johan von Sydow]] released the documentary film ''[[Tiny Tim: King for a Day]]''.<ref>[https://www.svt.se/kultur/film/filmrecension-tiny-tim Filmrecension: Fascinerande film om artisten Tiny Tim], svt.se</ref>

==Honors and awards==
[[File:Tiny Tim - First Avenue Star.jpg|thumb|Star honoring Tiny Tim on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub [[First Avenue (nightclub)|First Avenue]]]]Tiny Tim was honored with a star on the outside mural of the [[Minneapolis]] nightclub [[First Avenue (nightclub)|First Avenue]],<ref name="FirstAveStars">{{cite web |url=http://first-avenue.com/about/thestars |title=The Stars |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=First Avenue & 7th Street Entry |access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref> recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.<ref name="StarTribune2019">{{cite news |last=Bream |first=Jon |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-things-you-ll-learn-about-first-avenue-in-new-minnesota-history-center-show/509374312/ |title=10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show |work=[[Star Tribune]] |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=2019-05-03 |access-date=2020-05-10 }}</ref> Journalist Steve Marsh remarked that receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis."<ref name="MSPMag2019">{{cite news |last=Marsh |first=Steve |url=http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/first-avenue-star-wall/ |title=First Avenue's Star Wall |work=Mpls.St.Paul Magazine |location=Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota |date=2019-05-13 |access-date=2020-05-10 }}</ref>

==Discography==
{{category see also|Tiny Tim (musician) albums|Tiny Tim (musician) songs}}

=== Studio albums ===
*''[[God Bless Tiny Tim]]'' ([[Reprise Records]], 1968)
*''[[Tiny Tim's 2nd Album]]'' (Reprise Records, 1968)
*''[[For All My Little Friends]]'' (Reprise Records, 1969), Nominated for a Grammy Award.
*''[[Wonderful World of Romance]]'' (Street of Dreams YPRX 1724, 1980){{efn|Recorded at EMI Australia, only 200 pressed, no cover printed.}}
*''Chameleon'' (Street of Dreams YPRX 1848, 1980){{efn|Only 1000 copies pressed.}}
*''The Eternal Troubadour'' (Playback PBL 123441, 1986)
*''Tiptoe Through The Tulips: Resurrection'' ([[Bear Family Records]] BCD 15409, 1988)
*''Leave Me Satisfied'' (NLT 1993, 1989), Unreleased
*''Tiny Tim Rock'' (Regular Records, 1993)
*''I Love Me'' (Yucca Tree Records, 1993)
*''Songs of an Impotent Troubadour'' (Durtro, 1994)
*''Tiny Tim's Christmas Album 1994'' ([[Rounder Records]], 1994)
*''Prisoner of Love: A Tribute to Russ Columbo'' (Vinyl Retentive Productions, 1995)
*''Girl'' <small>(with [[Brave Combo]])</small> (Rounder Records, 1996)

=== Compilation albums ===

* ''With Love and Kisses from Tiny Tim: Concert in Fairyland'' (Bouquet SLP 711, 1962){{efn|Unauthorized recording.}}
* ''God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Studio Masters...And More'' (Rhino Handmade, 2006, 3-CD set)
* ''Wonderful World of Romance'' (Zero Communications, TTWW 12062, 2006, recorded in 1979)
* ''Stardust'' (Zero Communications, TTST 12063, 2006)
*''I've Never Seen a Straight Banana – Rare Moments Vol. 1'' (Collectors Choice Music WWCCM 20582)<ref name="cc" /> (2009)
*''Tiny Tim: Lost & Found (Rare & Unreleased 1963–1974)'' (Secret Seven Records, 2011, compilation)<ref name="secretsevenrecords.typepad.com" />
*''Tiny Tim's America'' (Ship to Shore Phonograph Company, 2016, previously unreleased)<ref name="America">[https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/tiny-tims-america ''"Store Page – Tiny Tim's America"''] Ship To Shore PhonoCo. Retrieved June 6, 2017</ref>

=== Live albums ===

* ''World Non-Stop Singing Record Brighton 1988'' (1988)
* ''Live in Chicago with the New Duncan Imperials'' (1995, Pravda Records)
* ''Tiny Tim Unplugged'' (Tomanna 51295, 1996){{efn|Recorded live in Birmingham, Alabama.}}
*''The Eternal Troubadour: Tiny Tim Live in London'' (Durtro, 1997, recorded in 1995)
*''[[Tiny Tim Live! At the Royal Albert Hall]]'' ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Handmade]], 2000, recorded in 1968)

=== Guest appearances ===

* ''[[The Beatles' Christmas records#1968: The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record|The Beatles' 1968 Christmas Record]]'' (Lyntone, LYN 1743/4, 1968), "[[Nowhere Man (song)|Nowhere Man]]"
* ''The 1969 Warner/Reprise Songbook'' (Seven Arts PRO 331), "Mr. Tim Laughs"
* ''The Heart Album'' (Ca-Song CA 1369, 1991){{efn|Tiny Tim has six songs on this album.}}

=== Singles ===

* "April Showers" / "Little Girl" ([[Blue Cat Records|Blue Cat]] 127, 1966)
* "Be My Love" / "Oh How I Miss You Tonight" (Boquet 101, 1968)
* "On The Good Ship Lollipop" / "Don't Take Your Love from Me" (Boquet 102, 1968)
* "Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips with Me" /"Fill Your Heart" (Reprise 0679, 1968) #17
* "Bring Back Those Rockabye Baby Days" / "This Is All I Ask" (Reprise 0760, 1968) #95
* "Hello, Hello" / "The Other Side" (Reprise 0769, 1968)
* "Great Balls of Fire" / "As Time Goes By" (Reprise 0802, 1969) #85
* "On The Good Ship Lollipop" / "America I Love You" (Reprise 0837, 1969)
* "Neighborhood Children" / "Mickey The Monkey" (Reprise 0855, 1969)
* "I'm A Lonesome Little Raindrop" / "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (Reprise 0867, 1969)
* "Don't Bite the Hand That's Feeding You" / "What Kind of American Are You?" (Reprise 0939, 1970)
* "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" / "Don't Bite the Hand That's Feeding You" (Reprise 0740, 1970){{efn|name=reissue|Reissue}}
* "Why" / "The Spaceship Song" (Reprise 0985, 1971){{efn|name=vicki|With Miss Vicki}}
* "'Hendrix-Joplin-Morrison' Why Did They Have to Die So Young" / "Letter Edged in Black" (Vic Tim 777, 1971)
* "(Whispering Voices) The Ballad of Attica Prison" / "Prisoner's Song" (Vic Tim 778, 1971)
* "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" / "White Christmas" (Vic Tim 1001, 1971)
* "Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips with Me" / "Great Balls of Fire" (Reprise 0740){{efn|name=reissue}}
* "Am I Just Another Pretty Face" / "Movies" (Scepter 12351, 1972)
* "I Ain't Got No Money" / "Alice Blue Gown" (Toilet 101, 1973)
* "Tip Toe to the Gas Pumps"{{efn|Refers to long gas lines during [[OPEC oil crisis]].}} / "The Hickey (On Your Neck)" (Clouds Records, 1979)

=== EP ===

* ''Keeping My Troubles to Myself'' (1983)

;Discography notes
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.robertwhitakerphotography.com/prints Photos of Tiny Tim by Robert Whitaker]
* {{IMDb name|864097|Tiny Tim}}
* [http://theband.hiof.no/albums/boot_down_in_the_basement.html Tiny Tim with Bob Dylan and The Band]
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/22648 Tiny Tim's tomb at Roadside America]
* {{YouTube|hNpx4vfN0yc|Video of Tiny Tim's tomb in Minneapolis, MN}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070523112601/http://www.tinytim.org/discography/index.html Tiny Tim discography at tinytim.org]
* [https://vault.fbi.gov/Herbert%20Khaury%20%28Tiny%20Tim%29 FBI Records: The Vault – Herbert Khaury (Tiny Tim)] at fbi.gov
* {{Discogs artist}}

{{Tiny Tim}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiny Tim (Musician)}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:American novelty song performers]]
[[Category:American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American ukulele players]]
[[Category:Apex Records artists]]
[[Category:Burials at Lakewood Cemetery]]
[[Category:American countertenors]]
[[Category:George Washington Educational Campus alumni]]
[[Category:Jewish American musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Minneapolis]]
[[Category:Musicians who died on stage]]
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[[Category:People from Washington Heights, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Reprise Records artists]]
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