What entertainer became known as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas"?

Sophie Tucker (1887-1966), born Sonya Kalish to a Jewish family from Tsarist Russia in 1887, would become one of the greatest and most beloved entertainers of the 20th century.

The singer, comedian, TV, film and radio personality grew from humble roots in Hartford, Connecticut where her family appropriated the last name Abuza and opened a restaurant. In addition to helping maintain the family business, Sophie began singing for tips at an early age and discovered her powerful voice and innate knack for entertaining.

Being pegged “too fat and ugly” to perform as herself, Sophie was restricted to performing in blackface. A happy accident which left her without her makeup kit one day in 1909 forced Sophie to go on stage naturally – as her full-figured self in a sequined ball gown and golden curls. The crowd loved the real Sophie, though she would continue to draw on ragtime, blues, and jazz influences, which were primarily African American genres at the time.

She graduated to the legendary Ziegfeld Follies, amassed an extraordinary fan base, recorded several popular songs of the day including 'My Yiddish Momme' and 'Some of These Days' (the title of her autobiography), appeared in a few films including 'Honky Tonk', one of the first "talkies".

“The Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” Tucker was adored for her bold sense of humor, powerful voice, and unwavering energy as a performer and as a woman.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you,

Weep and you sleep alone."