Arthur Tracy, a legendary recording star of the 1930s and 1940s, captured the hearts of housewives in both America and Great Britain with his suave style and sentimental ballads. His unique voice, described as a "bari-tenor," was influenced by the great Enrico Caruso.
Born in the Ukraine, Tracy emigrated to America at the age of six with his parents, who were poor and provided little education or musical training. He began singing in the streets of Philadelphia for pennies, earning him the nickname "The Street Singer." One of his most enduring hits was the song "Pennies from Heaven."
As a teenager, Tracy started singing in operettas and quickly became a headliner in vaudeville, sharing the stage with famous stars like Will Rogers and W.C. Fields. Columbia Records signed him to a contract, and a string of hits followed, including "Roses of Picardy" and "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie."
On radio, Tracy co-starred with comedy legends Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, and Bing Crosby. In Hollywood, he made a special guest appearance in "The Big Broadcast" (1932). He then traveled to London, where he topped the bill at the prestigious London Palladium, and starred in several films, including "Backstage" (1937) alongside Anna Neagle, "The Street Singer" (1936) with Margaret Lockwood, and "Follow Your Star" (1938) with Lilli Palmer.
After returning to America in 1940, Tracy's style of singing gradually became outdated, forcing him into semi-retirement. However, in the 1960s, he experienced a comeback, and record companies in both America and Britain re-released his classic material. In 1996, Tracy was awarded a gold CD to commemorate the huge sales of his records over 60 years.
