- Born
- Died
- Birth nameIra B. Tucker
- Ira Tucker was born on May 17, 1925 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. He was married to Louise Eleanor Archie. He died on June 24, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- SpouseLouise Eleanor Archie(1942 - June 24, 2008) (his death, 1 child)
- He eschewed the traditional gospel performance style of standing in one place on stage. He jumped off the stage, ran up and down the aisles, and sang on his knees.
- He was in his teens when he auditioned for the Dixie Hummingbirds' founder, James B. Davis, in the late 1930s.
- The Hummingbirds gained national attention when they sang backup on Paul Simon's 1973 hit song "Loves Me Like a Rock". They also produced their own version, which won a Grammy Award for best soul gospel performance.
- He was the longtime lead vocalist of the Dixie Hummingbirds, a gospel group which influenced the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Shirley Caesar, and Bobby Blue Bland, among others.
- He started out as a tenor, moved on to baritone, and sometimes dropped into the bass range.
- I was blessed. I never did hurt myself doing it. [commenting on his physically active performance style, in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune in 2004]
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