What if TinyTim had never existed?

[Chris Tarman]

Had he never picked up the Uke, I think a lot fewer people would roll their eyes and laugh when they think of a ukulele. I'm not a hater but I think in his time he was a joke, people laughed at him not with him...

I think having people laugh AT him was part of the joke. He was a performance artist as much as anything. Much like Andy Kaufman. I was 10 years old when SNL premiered, and when I was 11 or 12 and already a confirmed fan of late night comedy, Andy Kaufman made an appearance on SNL. Absolutely all he did was stand next to an old fashioned record player which was playing the theme from the old "Mighty Mouse" cartoon. He just stood there, until the song came to the chorus, at which point he puffed up his chest, lifted his chin and held out his arm in a heroic pose while LIP-SYNCHING the "Here I come to save the day!" line. Then right back to just standing until the next chorus. I couldn't tell if he was a genius or insane. I'm still not entirely sure. There was a LOT of laughter from the audience, but a good deal of it was pretty uncomfortable-sounding. I got the impression even at my age back then that that was exactly what Andy Kaufman was trying to accomplish.

I have a feeling that Tiny Tim was doing the same thing. I'm pretty sure he didn't think he was singing like Cliff Edwards or playing like Roy Smeck. Actually, his REAL singing voice was a fairly deep baritone (check out his cover of "Stairway to Heaven" with Brave Combo). If he had not wanted people laughing AT him, he wouldn't have presented himself in that persona on TV.

 

[Lalz]

Most people I know, including the ones who think ukuleles are toys, have never heard of Tiny Tim actually. Myself, I only heard about him a couple of years ago and only saw one short video of him on youtube. Had he not existed, it would have made no difference for me.

Many of my UK friends know about George Formby and of George Harrison's fondness for the ukulele, I think these are the two that first come to mind for most people here.

Funny anecdote: My best friend - who currently lives in the US - asked me yesterday if anyone has actually been playing the ukulele since Marilyn Monroe haha

 

[mds725]

I'm not certain Tiny Tim had any impact on the popularity of the ukulele. I see no evidence that uke sales soared, like they did in the 20s because of Ukulele Ike (the great Cliff Edwards) or in the 50s because of Arthur Godfrey. Correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Tiny Tim was a novelty act with a uke. But did people then run out and buy ukes because they wanted to play them? don't think so.

So my conclusion is, he had zero impact on the popularity of the instrument. So if he had never lived? Not much change in the uke-us-sphere.

It may be fair to conclude that, if it's true that there was no correlation between Tiny Tim's appearances with an ukulele and an increase in ukulele sales, Tiny Tim had no direct impact on the popularity of the ukulele. However, any lack of uptick in sales from his appearances doesn't negate the possibility that he had an indirect influence on the uke's popularity by bringing it back into the public's consciousness in the midst of Western popular music's love affair in the 60s with electric guitars. When I first heard Blue Red and Grey, I knew the instrument I was hearing was an ukulele because I'd already seen Tiny Tim play one on TV. I might have otherwise thought it was a guitar treated with sound effects or some other instrument I'd never heard of.

People didn't run out in droves to buy sitars when George Harrison began playing one on Beatles songs. But what Harrison did raised awareness of sitars, probably caused an uptick in sales of records featuring sitars, and bolstered the popularity of sitar players. My point is that increased sales of an instrument is not the only way to measure an increase in that instrument's popularity.

 

[soupking]

I think having people laugh AT him was part of the joke. He was a performance artist as much as anything. Much like Andy Kaufman. I was 10 years old when SNL premiered, and when I was 11 or 12 and already a confirmed fan of late night comedy, Andy Kaufman made an appearance on SNL. Absolutely all he did was stand next to an old fashioned record player which was playing the theme from the old "Mighty Mouse" cartoon. He just stood there, until the song came to the chorus, at which point he puffed up his chest, lifted his chin and held out his arm in a heroic pose while LIP-SYNCHING the "Here I come to save the day!" line. Then right back to just standing until the next chorus. I couldn't tell if he was a genius or insane. I'm still not entirely sure. There was a LOT of laughter from the audience, but a good deal of it was pretty uncomfortable-sounding. I got the impression even at my age back then that that was exactly what Andy Kaufman was trying to accomplish.

I have a feeling that Tiny Tim was doing the same thing. I'm pretty sure he didn't think he was singing like Cliff Edwards or playing like Roy Smeck. Actually, his REAL singing voice was a fairly deep baritone (check out his cover of "Stairway to Heaven" with Brave Combo). If he had not wanted people laughing AT him, he wouldn't have presented himself in that persona on TV.

Hilarious...

 

[Lalz]

He was one of America's greatest ukulele/old time music archivists. Much valuable old time music, includng early Americana and vaudeville might have been lost if not for him.

Wow! I think we have the answer to the question right here. Thanks Tiny Tim!

 

[pdxuke]

Well, here's what I think: "it's not very classy to trash an artist without having any facts."

At his Workshop Friday evening, Lil Rev pointed out that the ukulele has a rich place in Amercan music history and Tiny Tim is a valuable part of that history. TT seems to be getting judged only for his "schtick."

He was one of America's greatest ukulele/old time music archivists. Much valuable old time music, includng early Americana and vaudeville might have been lost if not for him. What most people "know" about Tiny Tim only scratches the surface. Check out his Memorial Site and Allmusic.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Tim_(musician)

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tiny-tim-mn0000603980

That's very interesting. Maybe his "behind the scenes" work in saving music has been a more valuable contribution, more-so than his public persona.

 

[Chris Tarman]

Interestingly, I have had a few older English friends who, upon hearing that I play ukulele, go straight to the George Formby references. I'm not sure they even know who Tiny Tim was. Where an American of a certain age would say something about TT or "Tiptoe Thru The Tulips", my English acquaintances would start strumming an invisible uke and sing either "With Me Little Ukulele In Me Hand" or "When I'm Cleaning Windows".

 

[hoosierhiver]

Tiny Tim was a novelty act with a uke. But did people then run out and buy ukes because they wanted to play them? don't think so.

So my conclusion is, he had zero impact on the popularity of the instrument. So if he had never lived? Not much change in the uke-us-sphere.

At that time (late 60's early 70's), you'd have a hard time finding one to buy. I think by the early 70's Kamaka was the only remaining ukulele company.

 

[OldePhart]

What if TinyTim had never existed?

I would have led worship on a soprano this morning instead of on a baritone...

John

 

[mds725]

......I have a feeling that Tiny Tim was doing the same thing. I'm pretty sure he didn't think he was singing like Cliff Edwards or playing like Roy Smeck. Actually, his REAL singing voice was a fairly deep baritone (check out his cover of "Stairway to Heaven" with Brave Combo). If he had not wanted people laughing AT him, he wouldn't have presented himself in that persona on TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQylt3TVFrI

 

[hoosierhiver]

He tried to warn us about global warming before it was even a thing, if we had only listened..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DEoOdcYKbc

 

[Chris Tarman]

Hilarious...

Thanks for posting that! I'm not sure if I've seen it since it originally aired. I love how he looks like he's not sure when to come in during the second verse, and I had totally forgotten about the water glass.

This is still the first thing I think of when someone mentions Andy Kaufman, and I think that would have pleased him!

 

[bodhran]

I read the other day that Rory Galagher's first string instrument was a ukulele bought from Woolworths.

Love them or hate them both Tiny Tim and George Formby kept the ukulele in the public eye.

 

[Freeda]

Oh Nooooooooooooes! Ripping the time-space continunums! Then we wouldn't have had Zooey Daschanel!



Seriously, if Marilyn Monroe couldn't spark interest with Some Like It Hot (it's fun watch it) and Taylor Swift toting around that concert size gig bag, I don't what will. In the meantime, I'll just amuse my friends and housepets with this instrument of innocent merriment...

That video was delightful.

 

[ScooterD35]

I pretty much ignored the other Tiny Tim thread, simply because of the "hate" factor.

Tiny Tim was a beloved character in American pop-culture. During his run in the 60's and 70's, any show was pretty much guaranteed high ratings on nights when he was scheduled to appear. His orchestrated recording of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" hit number 17 on the billboard charts and his album of children's music "For All My Little Friends" was nominated for a Grammy. He was a regular guest on Laugh-In and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (and actually got married on Johnny's show), got standing ovations just for walking on stage and literally continued to perform with his beloved ukuleles until the day he died of a heart attack (he suffered the heart attack on stage and died later that day at the hospital).

I believe that Tiny Tim single-handedly saved the ukulele from total obscurity and is a vastly more important part of American entertainment/pop culture history than many of todays "celebrities" (Paris Hilton and the Kardashians immediately come to mind).

A far cry from just "a novelty act with a ukulele" Tiny Tim was (and is) an enduring American Icon.


Scooter

 

[pdxuke]

I pretty much ignored the other Tiny Tim thread, simply because of the "hate" factor.

Tiny Tim was a beloved character in American pop-culture. During his run in the 60's and 70's, any show was pretty much guaranteed high ratings on nights when he was scheduled to appear. His orchestrated recording of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" hit number 17 on the billboard charts and his album of children's music "For All My Little Friends" was nominated for a Grammy. He was a regular guest on Laugh-In and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (and actually got married on Johnny's show), got standing ovations just for walking on stage and literally continued to perform with his beloved ukuleles until the day he died of a heart attack (he suffered the heart attack on stage and died later that day at the hospital).

I believe that Tiny Tim single-handedly saved the ukulele from total obscurity and is a vastly more important part of American entertainment/pop culture history than many of todays "celebrities" (Paris Hilton and the Kardashians immediately come to mind).

A far cry from just "a novelty act with a ukulele" Tiny Tim was (and is) an enduring American Icon.


Scooter

I'm certainly not a Tiny Tim hater. He may have been a wonderful man, for all I know. Perhaps he was everything you described him as being. But I lived through the time of his popularity, and I just did not witness a boom in the popularity of the ukulele as an instrument. There was certainly a boom in the popularity of Tiny Tim. I'm just not sure that he rescued the uke from obscurity. It's a long way from being a hugely popular, and perhaps influential artist in the 1960s and 1970s, to the current ukulele boom. I'm not sure what started this ukulele boom, but I'm pretty certain it was not Tiny Tim. However, Formby and Edwards and Godfrey all had a direct impact on the sale and the playing of ukuleles. That's my only point.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with being a novelty act with a ukulele. It's not a pejorative. It's a pretty accurate description of the man's act--which I happened to enjoy with most of America at the time.

 

[acmespaceship]

Oh boy, I love alternate history! My turn next:

After the Arthur Godfrey Error, the ukulele slipped from public consciousness in the mainland US. Ukes were known only to nostalgia buffs, historians, and tourists who returned from Hawaii with souvenir ukes made from coconuts. The 1971 Broadway production of No, No, Nanette sparked some interest among musical-comedy fans. But for the most part, by the early 1970s, no 20-year-old American would recognize a uke if they saw one.

In the UK, however, it was a different story. Musicians who grew up listening to George Formby knew about the ukulele. Pete Townshend played uke on The Who By Numbers, released in 1975. Videos and recordings of George Harrison, playing uke, caught the attention of American fans. Bob Dylan was inspired to try this exotic instrument in live performances released on his Hard Rain album in 1976. By the time Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead started playing uke, young rockers were clamoring for ukuleles. Seeing a market, Gibson introduced its Les Paul electric ukulele in 1978 and rock and roll was never the same since.

Meanwhile, Herbert Khaury, a uke player and collector of old songs, continued to perform in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. His small-but-loyal following grew, and in 1980 he made his first of many appearances on The Tonight Show. His sweet and eccentric performances made him famous, but did little to derail the ukulele juggernaut in popular music.

Many years later, young millennials would discover the mountain dulcimer as an obscure and quirky instrument. In the early years of the 21st Century, legions of hipsters recorded YouTube videos of themselves playing dulcimer while wearing ironic tiny hats.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Extra credit: How many of the above "facts" actually happened?

 

[wendellfiddler]

Had Tiny Tim never existed, nothing would be different with the ukulele and the way it is perceived today, however we would be without the Tiny Tim jokes. I really think he had very little or next to no influence on anything regarding the uke. Other than those little jokes. Tiny Tim was a crazy performer and had a fun little act, but I just do not believe anything he did had much influence on the ukulele going forward.

I agree. And would add that musicians have been aware of and using the uke in all sorts of ways ever since it's original development. Many string players I know had their first string experience on a uke - including me (mine was plastic, but it worked well enough for me to learn a few chords and play folk songs - banjo was next, then guitar, then dobro, then violin, then mandolin, then cuatro, then chromatic harmonica, then back to the uke!)

Duk

 

[ScooterD35]

Oh, don't get me wrong.

I'm not suggesting that he elevated the uke to any new heights of popularity, but I do think he kept it from being completely forgotten about. The chances that anyone was likely to recreate the ukulele buzz that Godfrey did during the Golden Age of Rock Music were pretty much nill. Which, IMO, makes Tiny Tim's popularity that much more amazing.


Scooter

 

[wendellfiddler]

Oh boy, I love alternate history! My turn next:

After the Arthur Godfrey Error, the ukulele slipped from public consciousness in the mainland US. Ukes were known only to nostalgia buffs, historians, and tourists who returned from Hawaii with souvenir ukes made from coconuts. The 1971 Broadway production of No, No, Nanette sparked some interest among musical-comedy fans. But for the most part, by the early 1970s, no 20-year-old American would recognize a uke if they saw one.

I'm sorry, man, but this just isn't true. It might be true that you didn't see them in popular music, but that doesn't mean people didn't know what they were - and it sounds like you would be amazed at how many people had one and could actually play it, including a significant number of guitar players - and we know how many of those there are in the US.

Duk