Tucker, Sophie

Sophie Tucker Famed, big-voiced singer Sonia Kalish-Abuza, Russia, January 13, 1884; New York City, February 9, 1966. She continued working as a headliner in clubs and on television until her death. She was billed late in her career as “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas.” Earlier, however, she was called “The Mary Garden of Ragtime .” She, like Emma Carus, was a large woman with a strong voice and a wide vibrato. Her energy was enormous, and she went to great lengths to put over a song. Tucker’s…