“It is said that Neil Young’s first musical abilities were encouraged when his father gave him a ukulele for Christmas in 1958.”
full story-
Tue 14 Jun 2005
Neil Young’s father, journalist/author Scott Young passes away
Posted by Drew under Ukulele News1 Comment
Tue 14 Jun 2005
Cliff Edwards (June 14, 1895 – 1971): Cliff Edwards was born in Hannibal Missouri, the hometown of legendary author Mark Twain. He left home at 14 and began to perform in clubs, bars and saloons. Since he was on the move, Edwards decided to learn an instrument he could carry with him. Cliff chose the ukulele because it was the cheapest instrument in the store. A club owner who could never remember his name called him Ukulele Ike. And — for the next two decades — the name stuck
Since Cliff didn’t have any formal training, he did what came naturally. So Edwards began to play around with a form of scat singing popular with jazz singers. The main difference with Ukelele Ike’s approach was his nearly three octave singing range. Which gave Cliff some pretty impressive high notes. The combination of the Ukulele and Edwards’ jazzy style made Ukulele Ike a big hit in the 1920s. In fact, “Ike” made the ukulele so popular that publishers started adding ukulele chords to sheet music.
In the 1930s, Cliff had his own radio show and had made numerous movie appearances when Walt cast him as Jiminy Cricket. In 1940, “Pinocchio” was released and “When You Wish Upon a Star” won the Oscar for best song.
Sadly, Edwards life had a dark side. He drank heavily, gambled constantly and married easily. In spite of money and fame, Ukelele Ike declared bankruptcy 3 times in his life. In his later years, Cliff would hang around the Disney studios waiting for voice work.
While his declining years may have left him penniless, Edwards’ voice is anything but forgotten. “When You Wish Upon a Star” has become the Walt Disney Company’s unofficial theme song and Cliff can be heard inside the castles of Magic Kingdoms around the world every day.
Thu 9 Jun 2005
Don’t forget– There’s a new installment of ukulele disco up. Fun stuff. http://www.ukuleledisco.com/ —
Wed 8 Jun 2005
Sun 5 Jun 2005
As mentioned in THIS previous blog entry, Kumu John Lake’s priceless ukulele was in his van when it was stolen.
Now he’s been reunited with his Uke!
“If it could speak, oh, it could tell you a lot of stories,” Lake said. “It’s probably going to have more. It’s probably going to have stories about where it went.”
Read Full Story here.
Thu 2 Jun 2005
Thu 2 Jun 2005
From Ukulelia:
On Friday, June 3: 1st FRIDAY UKE REVUE! Hosted by JIM D’VILLE and starring uke king, LYLE RITZ with bassist, RON GREEN; guitar & uke duo, DAVIS & D’VILLE! kinetic synch of THE ARTICHOKE NO-JUG BAND & remarkable Special Mystery Guests! TIX ON SALE NOW! When: 7PM FOOD & BAR by CASSIDY’S, 8PM SHOWTIME. $18 Advance Tix on sale at Artichoke Music (service charge on credit card tix purchase). Limited Seats, Non-Smoking, All Ages Welcome. Description: The fate of the 1st Friday Variety Revue has taken a ukulele turn for June! Come enter the world of uke passion with stars, mystery guests & old favorites playing the increasingly popular ukulele! Come see & hear what it’s all about, you’ll be glad you did! True to form, the 1st Friday Uke Revue follows the tradition of vaudeville on the Backgate Stage with a lineup of entertainment at its finest presented the old-fashioned way. Verve recording artist, author & teacher, LYLE RITZ brings jazz ukulele to new heights with bassist, RON GREEN. DAVIS & D’VILLE..The fine combustion of the elegant guitar work of LAURA DAVIS combined with the sparkling articulation of ukuleleist, JIM D’VILLE makes high octane fuel that gets your motor The SPECIAL MYSTERY GUEST is traditionally a favorite set at 1st Friday with a spotlight on the prodigious UNDISCOVERED or someone TOO FAMOUS to pre-announce for the room. You never know (and you might never forget!) it could be YOUR favorite… Don’t miss this great chance to get an unusual earful of music of the highest order in the world of ukulele! Fine food & drink brought to you by CASSIDY’S at 7PM Doors. Show starts at 8. Limited seats, non-smoking and all ages welcome! CLICK FOR MORE INFO
Wed 1 Jun 2005
One of my favorite sites for Uke Tabs is UKULELE BOOGALOO, which has an extensive songbook there. -CLICKY- - And they just added some new tabs– including one I submitted “ages” ago, SOON FORGET, which is one of my FAVORITE uke songs. You must play it. -CLICK HERE FOR TAB-
Also, those tabs have the nice finger diagrams for the chords used in the songs, so it’s real easy to practice and have fun.
