Gerald L. Duppler (May 18, 1903 – July 11, 1989), better known under his stage name Tommy Tucker, was an American bandleader.
The Tommy Tucker Orchestra entertained many listeners as a big band in the 1930s and 1940s. Popular as a dance band, the Tucker orchestra played concert halls, theatres, hotels and various venues across the country—for a span of 25 years. Recorded for
Okeh
Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
in June 1941, his biggest hit, "
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire
"I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" is a pop song written by Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler.
It was written in 1938, but was first recorded three years later by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets.
", achieved status as a Gold Record. Tucker wrote his own theme song, "I Love You (Oh, How I Love You)"; it was published on four record labels, including Brunswick, in 1935, and
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
in 1951.Christopher Popa. http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/tommytucker.html
Many listeners were familiar with the Tucker orchestra sound because they tuned into popular radio shows, such as ''Fibber McGee & Molly'' in 1936 and the ''George Jessel'' show in 1938, and several shows billed as ''Tommy Tucker Time''. In 1941, Tucker led the orchestra for a New York City version of the Pot o' Gold radio program, which was
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on three stations. Tucker opened each performance—on radio or live—with his signature "tic-toc, tic-toc, it's Tommy Tucker time." And he usually ended each session with ''Time to Go''.
Early life
Born Gerald L. Duppler, May 18, 1903, in
Souris, North Dakota
Souris is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 37 at the 2020 census. Souris was founded in 1901.
Geography
Souris is in the central part of the county. It is named after the Souris River, which flows thro ...
, he received a Bachelor of Arts at the University of North Dakota in 1924, majored in Music and was recognized as Phi Beta Kappa. Shortly after college, Tucker organized a small band and played at a fairground pavilion in Minot, ND. They played at the Breen Hotel in St. Cloud, MN that winter, and then in the summer of 1926 they played at a popular resort in Detroit, MN—The Pettibone Lodge.
The group began to travel and landed in California. His first recordings were with Crown Records in 1933, under the name Tommy Tucker and His Californians. He used the name Tommy Tucker and His Orchestra for his next recordings for Brunswick in 1935. With Columbia records dominant, Tucker recorded over one thousand sides for over 10 record companies.
Tucker devised his own marketing approach when the band first toured the country. As he planned a route, Tucker would send telegraph messages to various towns announcing that he was traveling through the area, and asked if the proprietor of a venue would like to book him. Later in the early thirties, Joe Galkin became the orchestra's official manager who planned all bookings and arrangements for travel.
Career highlights and associated talent
The Tommy Tucker Orchestra played at the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park and the Strand Theatre in New York City; the Adams in Newark, NJ; the Earle in Philadelphia; the Oriental in Chicago, and the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC—to name a few. Television shows that Tucker appeared on include ''The Kate Smith Show'', ''Cavalcade of Bands'', ''Arthur Murray House Party'', and ''Strike It Rich''.
The musicians associated with Tucker's band included the pianist Hal Dennis, five sax players, including Mac Becker, Roy Underwood, Milton Brodus, Gordon Reaney, Al Little and Gerry Mulligan, clarinetist Clarence Hutchinrider, and trumpeters Carlyle Hall (Sr), Danny Davis, and Clarence Zylman. One of his longtime trumpeters was Carlton "Buster" Brown who played first chair. Vocalists include
Amy Arnell
Amy Arnell was an American singer, best known for her work with Tommy Tucker and his orchestra.
Early years
Arnell was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. As early as age 3, she would sit on a piano and sing while her ...
, Clare Nelson, Madeline Russell, Kerwin Somerville, Don Brown, Peter Hanley and the Three Two-Timers, reinforcing the clock theme. Eydie Gorme sang with the band when Tucker settled on the east coast near Asbury Park. Many songs recorded over the years were written by Irving Berlin.
When Tucker retired from the band business, he became a professor in music at
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. Monmouth enrolls approximately 900 students from 21 countries who choose courses from 40 major programs, 43 minors, and 17 pre-professional programs in a ...
in
West Long Branch, New Jersey
West Long Branch is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,097,West Allenhurst section of Ocean Township, where he had moved in 1941. He conducted the school's concert band and taught classes for the school's degree programs in music and music education. After twenty years as an educator, he retired to Florida in 1979. Tommy died in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
on July 11, 1989.
Remembered as a "sweet sound" and appreciated as "swing", critiques note that his charts can contrast "exotic effects with jazz-time passages".Tex Wyndham, January 2007, Liner notes for disk Tommy Tucker & HIS ORCHESTRA 1943-47, The Light Turned Green, Produced by Circle Records, New Orleans