About us

In 1973, Ithaca College students Susan Denner and Lloyd Ecker went on their first date to see an up-and-coming new singer named Bette Midler. Over the course of the evening, the couple fell in love with the Divine Miss M., her Sophie Tucker jokes, and each other.

Over the last fifty-one years, the Eckers got married, had three children, four grandchildren and developed Babytobee.com. The sale of that business in 2006 allowed Sue and Lloyd to pursue their passion for bringing Sophie Tucker’s life to the page, screen and now stage.

With a Grammy nomination, a documentary and book about Sophie Tucker’s life already under their belts, the Eckers have now co-written Sophie's coming of age story on how Tucker got from Hartford to The Palace Theater before she was twenty-seven. The musical, Last Of The Red Hot Mamas, is making its World Premiere at Bucks County Playhouse in July 2024, and then, according to Sue and Lloyd, will be heading to Broadway. After that, the Eckers plan to take their musical to Hollywood for a film version, and then, to the small screen in a long running broadcast drama based on Sophie Tucker's unbelievable sixty-year showbiz career.
Stay tuned for these — and more — exciting developments.

Interview with Sue and lloyd