Jazz Age Hot Mamma 1922-1929
A young Sophie Abuza honed her singing skills by entertaining patrons at her family's cafe in Hartford, Connecticut. A brief marriage to Louis Tuck with the later addition of 'er' to her surname provided Sophie Tucker with one of the best-known stage names of the day. Our release includes songs recorded from 1922 to 1929, a time in which Tucker was a vaudeville headliner (today we use the term 'superstar') and celebrity nightclub performer. Tucker's theme song over these years wasSome Of These Days. The first six titles, from the early 1920s, were recorded acoustically (i.e., without a microphone. That means literally shouting into a horn) a process for which her powerful voice excelled. A good example isPapa Better Watch Your Step. Of special interest are the final six numbers in this collection which are from the soundtrack disc of her 1929 movieHonky Tonk. A poignant ballad written for this lost film isI'm Doing What I'm Doing For Love. Fortunately, she can still be heard if not seen in this film.