Tommy Tucker (born Robert Higginbotham; March 5, 1933 – January 22, 1982) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for the 1964 hit song, "

Hi-Heel Sneakers "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (often also spelled "High Heel Sneakers") is a blues song written and recorded by Tommy Tucker in 1963. Blues writer Mary Katherine Aldin describes it as an uptempo twelve-bar blues, with "a spare, lilting musical framework", ...

", that went to No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and peaked at No. 23 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Early life

Tucker was born Robert Higginbotham, to Leroy and Mary Higginbotham, the fifth of eleven children, in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northe ...

, United States.

Career

Tucker released "

" in 1964, which was a hit both in the US and the UK. He released an album, also entitled ''Hi-Heel Sneakers'', on

Checker Records Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Record ...

that same year. His follow-up single, "Long Tall Shorty", was less successful. Musicians that played on his albums and singles included Louisiana Red,

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

. In the 1970s, he began releasing previously unissued material on the English label Red Lightnin'. This was combined with his work for Big Bear Records, featuring on their American Blues Legends '75 album and tour. Tucker co-wrote a song with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

founder executive

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...

, called "My Girl (I Really Love Her So)". Tucker left the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

in the late 1960s, taking a position as a real estate agent in New Jersey. He also did

freelance writing ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

for a local newspaper in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

, writing of the plight and ignorance of black males in America, and the gullibility and exploitation of African Americans in general by the white-dominated media.

Death

Tucker died in 1982 at the age of 48 at College Hospital in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, from inhaling

carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as tetrachloromethane, also recognised by the IUPAC, carbon tet in the cleaning industry, Halon-104 in firefighting, and Refrigerant-10 in HVACR) is an organic compound with the chemi ...

while refinishing the hardwood floors of his home, though his death has been alternatively attributed to

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disea ...

Discography

Singles

Albums

* 1964: ''Hi-Heel Sneakers'' (Checker) * 1978: ''Live + Well'' (Ornament) * 1978: ''Mother Tucker'' (Red Lightnin') * 1982: ''The Rocks Is My Pillow - The Cold Ground Is My Bed'' (Red Lightnin')

Appears On

* 1975: ''American Blues Legends '75'' (Big Bear)

References

External links

*
Dispatch.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Tommy 1933 births 1982 deaths Singers from Ohio Musicians from Springfield, Ohio American blues singers American blues pianists American male pianists Songwriters from Ohio RCA Victor artists Apex Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters