Born Herbert Butros (Buckingham) Khaury on April 12, 1932, he had an ear for music from the age of 3. He first learned to play guitar, but after seeing Arthur Godfrey play a ukulele on his TV show, he became obsessed. He received his first ukulele from his father in the early 1950s and became a pro, making it his signature instrument. From then on, he built a name for himself as “Tiny Tim” which would be a play on his 6 foot frame and eccentricity. 

Tiny Tim became known for his incredible vocal range, particularly his falsetto from which he could switch to a deep baritone with ease, after, establishing himself in the Greenwich Village music scene in the early 1960s, he began making appearances on several shows before finally appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show on Oct 6th, 1968 following the release of his first studio album “God Bless Tiny Tim”, featuring the tracks “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips” (the one that him famous), and “I Got You, Babe” which are both cover versions of older songs. He would appear two more times, his last appearance featuring his first wife Victoria Budinger known then as “Miss Vicki”.  

 Although his popularity waned in the 1970s, he kept performing to audiences and releasing studio albums throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. He would make a brief resurgence in the 80s as a new wave of rock musicians discovered his music, however not much would come of this. Sadly, his health rapidly declined in 1996. He suffered a heart attack on stage in September, which left him in hospital for 11 days. Unfortunately, on November 30th, 1996 he suffered another (while also on stage against doctor’s orders) which ended up being fatal.

Following his death, Tiny Tim would continue to influence pop culture, his song “Livin In The Sunlight, Lovin In The Moonlight” would appear in the pilot episode of Spongebob Squarepants in 1999, exposing him to a whole new generation of kids and teens. 

Check out our Tiny Tim playlist to see full performances from The Ed Sullivan Show!