Richard Tucker is one of America’s great operatic gems.

The tenor, born on August 28, 1913, in Brooklyn was actually born Rivn Ticker, though his parents adopted “Tucker” as their official last name by the time their son was of school age. He was a musical natural from an early age and throughout his teenage years, he was singing in weddings and as a cantor. That said, his opera career took a while to come to fruition.

He would become the brother-in-law of Jan Peerce, who would help him get an introduction to Zavel Zilberts, before eventually coming under the tutelage of Paul Althouse. Tucker attempted the Met Opera “Auditions in the Air” in 1941 but failed. Fortunately, he got another shot when Met general manager Edward Johnson heard him sing at the Brooklyn Jewish Center. In 1945, he finally made his Met debut, which is widely considered one of the most successful in history.

Tucker would sing around the world, but the Met became his home for over 30 years and he performed in 739 performances overall. He recorded with Columbia Records and after his death, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation was established by his widow and sons to help up-and-coming singers.

Signature Roles

The operas of Verdi are undeniably his signature and more than half of his performances of his works made up his repertoire at the Met. In fact, of his 739 performances at the Met, over 260 were in Verdi roles.

Watch and Listen

Here is a recital with his long-time friend and collaborator Robert Merrill.

Here is a recording of “Il Trovatore.”