Arthur Tracy ranked among radio’s most luminous figures throughout its golden era. Dubbed the “Street Singer,” his full, amorous tenor made him one of the era’s foremost vocalists during the economic slump of the 1930s. Although his crisp enunciation and wandering-minstrel manner led most listeners to assume he was American-born, Tracy had entered the world as Abba Tracovutsky in Kamenets-Podolsky, Russian Empire, in 1899; his family crossed to the United States in 1906 and established itself in Philadelphia. He first enrolled in architecture studies at the University of Pennsylvania yet soon abandoned the program, moving to New York City in 1924 to chase a singing career. After gaining notice on the vaudeville circuit he joined the road company of Blossom Time and took part in several amateur revues around New York; during one such performance William Paley heard him and offered a fifteen-minute CBS radio slot.
Concerned that a failed radio venture might shame his relatives, Tracy first considered billing himself “the Vagabond Singer,” only to discover that Rudy Vallée already carried the title “the Vagabond Lover.” After encountering mention of Frederick Lonsdale’s play The Street Singer he adopted that phrase as his persona. His 1931 on-air debut quickly captivated listeners, prompting nationwide conjecture about the singer’s real identity. Five months passed before his name was disclosed; within the year he traveled to Hollywood for the film The Big Broadcast of 1932 alongside Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, the Boswell Sisters, and other radio luminaries. His radio series proved so popular that episodes sometimes aired multiple times weekly. Even when Depression-era record sales reached their nadir, Tracy’s discs sold briskly; among his successes were “Here Lies Love,” “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” “I'll See You Again,” “Red Sails in the Sunset,” and his signature number, “Marta, Rambling Rose of the Wildwood.”
Beyond love songs, ballads, and current pop material, Tracy performed in Spanish, Italian, and German. He attained worldwide celebrity and, in 1935, undertook a triumphant tour of English music halls. Remaining in Britain for an extended period, he appeared in the motion pictures Limelight, Command Performance, and The Street Singer. Following the outbreak of World War II he returned to America and later entertained U.S. troops abroad. In subsequent decades he curtailed live performances after amassing a multi-million-dollar fortune through real-estate holdings. A modest resurgence occurred in the early 1980s when his recording of “Pennies from Heaven” featured in the Steve Martin film of the same title, leading to a cabaret engagement at the Cookery in Greenwich Village. He also joined the touring production of Andrew Bergman’s Broadway play Social Security and took a role in the motion picture Crossing Delancey. In 1996 Tracy received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; he died in Manhattan on October 5, 1997. An autobiography likewise titled The Street Singer appeared after his death.
