Teeny Tucker

Teeny Tucker
Birth name Regina B. Higginbotham
Also known as Regina B. Westbrook
Born (1958-01-22) January 22, 1958
Dayton, Ohio, United States
Genres Electric blues, new blues
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 1996–present
Labels Various including CD Baby
Website Official website

Regina B. Higginbotham (born January 22, 1958) known professionally as Teeny Tucker is an American electric blues and new blues singer and songwriter.[1] She is the daughter of the late blues musician Tommy Tucker. AllMusic noted that "Teeny Tucker is among a growing number of female blues belters taking different paths to stardom or wider recognition, but she's one of the very best..."[2] She has released five albums to date.

She has variously appeared on the same bill with B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Etta James, Buddy Guy, the Holmes Brothers, Robert Cray, Keb' Mo', Deanna Bogart, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush, and John Mayall.[3]

Life and career

Teeny Tucker was born in Dayton, Ohio, United States.[1] She sang in her local church choir.[4] Her father, a blues performer best known for his 1964 hit song, "Hi-Heel Sneakers," died tragically at the age of 42 in January 1982, on his daughter's 24th birthday.[1][5][6]

Tucker first performed professionally in November 1996.[7] Her debut album, Tommy's Girl, was issued in 2000.[8] She composed eight of the 11 tracks on her 2003 album, First Class Woman, which had airplay on XM Satellite Radio, Music Choice and various other blues radio stations across the United States.[4] Tucker has twice been a top three finalist in the International Blues Challenge. In 2008, Tucker performed at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival.[4]

Two Big M's (2008) peaked at number six on the Living Blues chart,[4] and was nominated for the best self-produced CD by the Blues Foundation.[7] Keep the Blues Alive (2010) contained more of Tucker's own compositions.[4][9]

In 2009 and 2011, Tucker performed at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival. In 2010, Tucker, now officially named Regina B. Westbrook, was residing in Columbus, Ohio.[1] In February 2011, Tucker was selected as the 2011 Federal Carter G. Woodson Award winner.[10] In September 2011, Tucker sang at the Blast Furnace Blues Festival.

At the 2014 Blues Music Awards, Diunna Greenleaf won the Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female), beating fellow nominees Tucker, Lavelle White, Trudy Lynn, and Zora Young.[11] Tucker also performed live at the event.[12] In February that year, Tucker gave a talk on "Women In The Blues," part of the Penn State Forum Speaker Series at Pennsylvania State University.[13] In August 2015, Tucker performed at the Riverside Bluesfest in St. Marys, Ohio.[14]

Awards and nominations

Discography

Albums

Year Title Record label
2000 Tommy's Girl Self issued
2003 First Class Woman Hot Rod Records
2008 Two Big M's CD Baby/Teebo
2010 Keep the Blues Alive Teebo
2013 Voodoo To Do You CD Baby

[8][16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eagle, Bob L.; Le Blanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues : A Regional Experience. Praeger. pp. 82/3. ISBN 978-0-31334423-7.
  2. ↑ Michael G. Nastos (2010-06-15). "Keep the Blues Alive - Teeny Tucker | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  3. ↑ "Teeny Tucker | Keep the Blues Alive". Cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Teeny Tucker Official Website". Teenytucker.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  5. ↑ "Tommy Tucker". Soulfulkindamusic.net. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  6. ↑ "Robert Higginbotham, Singer Of Blues and Jazz, Dead at 48". The New York Times. January 25, 1982. Retrieved 2012-08-20. Robert Higginbotham, a blues and jazz singer who performed under the name Tommy Tucker, died Friday at College Hospital in Newark. Mr. Higginbotham, who lived in East Orange, N.J., was 48 years old. ... A native of Springfield, Ohio, he had lived in East Orange for 17 years. He was a licensed real-estate broker and had been an amateur prize fighter as a young man.
  7. 1 2 "Teeny Tucker's Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and pictures at". Last.fm. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  8. 1 2 "Teeny Tucker - Tommy's Girl (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  9. ↑ "October 2010 | Teeny Tucker | Keep The Blues Alive". Thebluegrassspecial.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  10. ↑ "Teeny Tucker Official Website | Bio". Teenytucker.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  11. ↑ "2014 Blues Music Awards Nominees and Winners". Blues.about.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  12. ↑ "Blues Festival Guide Magazine and Online Directory of Blues Festivals – Imagine A Crowd This Excited? With Teeny Tucker, they will be!". Bluesfestivalguide.com. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  13. ↑ "Heard on Campus: Teeny Tucker, international blues recording artist | Penn State University". News.psu.edu. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  14. ↑ "Tickets for 2015 Riverside Bluesfest featuring Wayne Baker Brooks / Teeny Tucker / Bumper Jacksons / etc.". Ticketweb.com. 2015-08-29. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  15. ↑ "Teeny Tucker Official Website #124; Home". Teenytucker.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
  16. ↑ "Teeny Tucker | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
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