![]() She was invited to perform in London, Paris and other European cities. As her popularity grew, Tucker shared top billing with many of the 20th century's most famous stars including Will Rogers, Jack Benny and Fanny Brice. She soon became a headliner in vaudeville and burlesque shows. However, one night after her make-up was stolen, she turned skeptics into believers, charming her audience and transforming herself into a true star. Whether it was because she was considered overweight or because she was Jewish, her managers did not believe that Tucker could win over her audience by appearing on stage as herself. When she first took to the vaudeville stage in 1907, she was forced to perform wearing blackface, a common practice in amateur shows at the time. In New York, Tucker began singing in small cafes. In an attempt to create a new stage persona for herself, she adapted her married name and became Sophie Tucker. Discontent with her husband’s lack of ambition, Sophie Tuck ended the relationship and left her family to pursue a career in show business in New York City. The marriage was short-lived but the Tucks produced a son, Bert. In 1903, 17-year-old Sophie Abuza married Louis Tuck. When the young Sophie showed a penchant for show business, her parents did not approve but allowed her to perform at the family’s restaurant for tips from patrons. They intended her to marry, have children and succeed in domestic matters. Once settled in Hartford, her parents opened a kosher restaurant on Front Street and started building a life for their daughter. ![]() The Kalish family immigrated to Hartford, Conn., when Sophie was just three months old and changed its name to Abuza. Sophie Kalish was born on Januin Tulchyn, Ukraine. When Sophie Tucker, called “The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas” died in 1966, the Hartford Courant wrote: “Miss Tucker was more than a Red-Hot Mama she had a mama's love for people, and her memorial to her hard-working parents was always to remember other people in need.” Throughout her five-decade career, Sophie Tucker was not only a star of stage and screen, but also a dedicated philanthropist, leaving behind a rich legacy of music, television, and film along with one of care, concern and community support.
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