From the Factory, Players | June 24, 2026

Holding Tiny Tim’s Last Song: The Martin Ukulele Behind A Final Performance

Inside the story of the well-worn 1930 Martin soprano ukulele Tiny Tim played during his final performance—and why his love of Martin ukes helped bring the instrument back into the spotlight.

Tiny Tim's 1930 Martin Soprano Ukulele. The photo is of it's worn top.

Inside the Martin Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, some instruments stop visitors in their tracks because of who played them. Others do it because of where they’ve been, what they’ve survived, or the songs still tied to their strings. 

Tiny Tim’s Martin soprano ukulele does all of that—and then some. 

Well-worn, deeply personal, and surrounded by one of the more unusual stories in the Martin Museum collection, this Style 0 Martin ukulele belonged to Tiny Tim, the unforgettable performer born Herbert Khaury. Best known for his falsetto rendition of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” Tiny Tim became one of the most unlikely pop culture icons of the late 1960s, bringing the ukulele back into the mainstream with every television appearance, every raised eyebrow, and every strummed chord. 

“Tiny Tim’s Style 0 we have in our collection is from around 1930,” says Jason Ahner, Martin’s museum and archives manager. “Tiny Tim was fond of Martin ukes and owned several.” 

But this particular Martin ukulele carries a heavier story. 

“The thing with this one is that it was the last ukulele Tiny Tim played,” Jason says. 

And that makes it one of the most fascinating—and haunting—instruments currently on display at the Martin Museum. 

A photo of the entire ukulele body and neck

The Martin Ukulele That Held Tiny Tim’s Last Song 

Tiny Tim’s Martin ukulele is not pristine, polished, or untouched. It looks the way a played instrument should look: honest, aged, and full of history. According to the museum placard, Tiny Tim was performing his signature song, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” on stage in 1996 when he collapsed from a heart attack. 

Jason tells the story with the careful mix of reverence and curiosity that comes with preserving instruments tied to real human moments. 

“The story goes that he was playing a women’s benefit in Minneapolis, and he wasn’t feeling well,” Jason says. “He played his song, finished, collapsed, and ended up dying afterward.” 

Because of that history, the ukulele has developed something of a reputation among those who know the museum collection well. 

“People say this one is cursed,” Jason says. “This ukulele and ‘Grandpa’ [the ’53 D-18 owned by Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith that’s also on display], both have that kind of mystique around them. With this one, the placard says it holds Tiny Tim’s last song.” 

Whether you see it as eerie, emotional, or simply unforgettable, the instrument is more than a celebrity artifact. It’s the last Martin Tiny Tim played in front of an audience—a small soprano ukulele with a massive story behind it. 


Who Was Tiny Tim? 

Tiny Tim was unlike anyone else in popular music. Tall, eccentric, and instantly recognizable, he built his career around a voice, image, and repertoire that felt completely outside the mainstream—even when he was appearing on some of the biggest mainstream stages in America. 

“He was kind of a counterculture icon in the ’60s,” Jason says. “He was a different musician. He wasn’t the norm, but he was on Ed Sullivan and all these mainstream shows.” 

That contradiction is part of what made Tiny Tim so memorable. He could seem like a novelty act at first glance, but behind the unusual persona was a serious student of early American popular music. He loved old songs, vaudeville standards, vintage recordings, and the kind of musical history that many performers of his era were leaving behind. 

His version of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”—also known as “Tiptoe Thru’ the Tulips With Me”—became his signature hit, peaking at No. 17 on the pop charts in June 1968. Since this blog is going live around that same time, nearly 60 years later, it’s a fitting moment to look back at the Martin ukulele tied not just to his final performance but also to the song that made him famous. 

You can see that unforgettable mix of sincerity, showmanship, and uke-driven charm in the performance below, filmed in 1968 for the West German music program Beat-Club. With his Martin Style 0 ukulele in hand, Tiny Tim performs the song that made him famous—offering a perfect snapshot of the sound, style, and strange magic that helped turn “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” into a pop culture moment. 

How Tiny Tim Helped Put The Ukulele Back In The Spotlight 

Tiny Tim didn’t invent the ukulele craze, but he arrived at exactly the right moment to remind people that this small instrument could still make a big impression—expressive, memorable, and completely captivating all at once. 

“Guitar sales can be cyclical,” Jason says, “but with ukuleles, it can be a bit more extreme. It all goes with popular entertainers playing ukuleles.” 

That pattern goes deep into Martin history. Ukulele sales boomed in the 1910s and 1920s as Hawaiian music swept across the mainland United States. Interest cooled in the 1930s, then picked back up in the 1940s with entertainers like Arthur Godfrey helping make the instrument popular again. 

“In the ’50s, it falls off a little bit,” Jason says. “And then in the ’60s, you have Tiny Tim, and he kind of puts the ukulele on the map again.” 

Tiny Tim’s rise showed how one highly visible artist could spark renewed interest in the ukulele. His performances were unusual, but they were also unforgettable. Every time he stepped onto a television stage with a Martin uke in hand, he reminded audiences that the instrument still had a place in popular culture. You can see that for yourself in the clip below from The Ed Sullivan Show. 

“It just shows that if you have somebody well-known, a pretty significant artist, ukulele sales will go up, and interest in them will go up,” Jason says. 

Why Martin Ukuleles Matter 

Tiny Tim owned and played several Martin ukuleles, and he wasn’t alone in his appreciation. For serious uke players, vintage Martin ukuleles have long held a special status. 

“Obviously, he owned other brands,” Jason says, “but there are a lot of performances with him playing Martin ukes.” 

That connection makes sense. As the world’s oldest surviving maker of ukuleles, Martin helped shape the sound, feel, and reputation of the instrument during its early 20th-century boom. The company’s Nazareth-made ukes became some of the most respected examples ever produced, known for their small size, light build, and musical response that made them favorites among players and collectors alike. 

“Martin ukes, and vintage Martin ukes, are the best ukes you can find,” Jason says. “Ukulele players know that too, so they’ll go out and collect vintage Martin ukes.” 

The irony is that Martin made so many ukuleles during those early waves of demand that vintage examples remained widely available for decades. 

“Because of the quantity of ukes that were built by Martin through the ’20s, ’30s, and when these spikes would appear, it’s really the reason the company stopped building them in Nazareth for a while,” Jason explains. “You could purchase a vintage uke for less than we could build a new one for.” 

That eventually changed as interest in premium ukuleles continued to grow—and as Martin revisited some of its most iconic historical models. 

An angled shot of Tiny Tim's worn ukulele

From Tiny Tim To Today’s Ukulele Icons 

Tiny Tim was one of several artists who helped bring the ukulele back into public view at different points in music history. After him came other major players who inspired new generations to pick up the instrument. 

“For us, definitely Israel ‘Iz’ Kamakawiwoʻole,” Jason says. “Jake Shimabukuro is one, too. He owns vintage ones.” 

Like Tiny Tim, those artists helped expand the way people think about the ukulele. It could be sweet, funny, nostalgic, virtuosic, emotional, or deeply expressive. In the right hands, it could carry a whole performance. 

That’s part of why Martin’s ukulele legacy remains so strong. From vintage Style 0 soprano ukes like Tiny Tim’s to flagship models like the Style 5K, Martin ukuleles continue to connect the company’s early 20th-century history with players today. 

“When the Style 5K was reintroduced, it was kind of like the D-45,” Jason says. “Martin stopped building the D-45 after ’42 and reintroduced it in ’68. It took the company a little longer to reintroduce the 5K, but we ended up doing so. And now it’s one of those flagship ukuleles.” 

Back of Tiny Tim's ukulele's headstock, bearing the C.F. Martin & Co insignia

How Tiny Tim’s Ukulele Came To The Martin Museum 

Tiny Tim’s Martin ukulele came to Martin through an auction purchase, but it arrived with more than just the instrument itself. 

“In the archives, we have this whole book that was given to us with the ukulele by his widow,” Jason says. 

That added documentation helps preserve the story around the instrument, not just the object. In a museum setting, that context matters. The uke is important because Tiny Tim owned it. It’s even more powerful because of the story it carries, the performance it’s tied to, and the unusual place Tiny Tim holds in American music history. 

There are still other Tiny Tim ukuleles out there, too—including one that may have an even more personal connection. 

“Penn Jillette is a huge Tiny Tim fan,” Jason says. “He was here a few years ago, and he has the uke that he believes was in Tiny Tim’s casket. So this uke was the last one he performed live with, but Penn says he has the last one he ever touched.” 

That detail only adds to the mythology around Tiny Tim’s instruments. Like the artist himself, the stories are strange, memorable, and impossible to ignore.

 

A Small Instrument With A Big Story 

Tiny Tim’s 1930 Martin soprano ukulele may be small, but it represents a remarkable collision of music history, Martin craftsmanship, pop culture, and folklore. 

It speaks to Martin’s deep ukulele legacy. It recalls one of the most unusual performers ever to step into the mainstream spotlight. It shows how one artist can renew public interest in an instrument. And, perhaps most movingly, it marks the final song of a musician who never stopped performing. 

That’s what makes the Martin Museum such a special place. The instruments on display aren’t just rare. They’re personal. They carry the wear of real players, the echoes of famous songs, and the stories that shaped them. 

Tiny Tim’s Martin ukulele is no exception. 

It’s a Style 0 soprano uke from the early 20th century. It belonged to a one-of-a-kind artist. It helped carry a song that became part of pop culture history. And today, it lives on in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where visitors can stand in front of it and feel the moving, unforgettable story still hanging in the air. 

Front of Tiny Tim's ukulele's headstock

More From The Martin Museum 

Explore other legendary Martin instruments on display, including: 

Stay tuned for more stories behind the strings—only at the Martin Museum. 

Until next time, happy playing!