Sophie Tucker was an enormously popular entertainer of the first half of the twentieth century, often referred to as “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas†due to her overt and guilt-free sexuality in a time teeming with leftover Victorianism. She was born in Russia to Jewish parents who emigrated to America when she was three months old; Sophie began her show-biz career as a tot, singing and dancing for the customers in her parents’ restaurant. When she was older, she played in vaudeville and burlesque, parlaying her ample form into a money-making act. “Some of These Days (You’ll Miss Your Honey)†became her signature song. By the 1920s, Sophie was nationally and internationally acclaimed, touring Europe and making a name for herself in movies as well as on the stage. Segueing into radio and television, she kept her name in lights almost to the day of her death. Sophie Tucker – one of a kind!
