Sophie Tucker (January 13, 1884 - February 9, 1966) was a singer and comedian, one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first third of the 20th century. She was born Sophia Kalish to a Jewish family in Czarist Russia. Her family emigrated to the United States when she was an infant, and settled in Hartford, Connecticut. The family changed its name to Abuza, and her parents opened a restaurant. She started singing for tips in her family's restaurant.