Ukulele Heroes - James Hill

Back up to the present day with my series on ukulele heroes, and we turn to Ukulele James - James Hill

Now here is a ukulele player that you should really check out if you want inspiration!

James was born in Canada in the 1970's in Langley, British Colombia, and interestingly it is in BC that the ukulele is mandatory in schools (you heard me - MANDATORY) - James was therefore introduced to the uke at the age of nine and was hooked.

By his teens, he improved his skills in the the Langley Ukulele Ensemble and also got into teaching uke.

Since then, James has emerged as a huge ukulele talent and recording artist, with his 2002 release "Playing It Like It Isn't" setting the standard in his bid to convince the doubters of the seriousness of the ukulele.  He collaborated with cellist Anne Davison on the wonderful True Love Dont Weep album, but really hit the spot with his third album A Flying Leap.

He has now made TV appearances on MTV and the Tony Danza show and has shared the bill with the likes of Lyle Lovett and Robert Cray.

A true ukulele hero who's star is in the ascendancy

http://www.ukulelejames.com/

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Ukulele Heroes - Bill Tapia

As his website says, Bill "Tappy" Tapia is 102 years young and still performing - what a great choice for this edition of Ukulele Heroes!

Bill Tapia was born on 1 January 1908 in Honolulu, Hawaii, from Portuguese parents.  Little wonder then that he went on to become one of the best known and well loved players of the ukulele!

Also known as Uncle Bill, and Tappy, Bill bought his first ukulele at the age of seven.  He did, however, then give up the uke for the guitar and went on to great success on the Vaudeville circuit performing with such luminaries as Bing Crosby, Billy Holiday and Fats Waller playing as an accomplished jazz guitar player.  In fact, Bill didn't then touch a ukulele for over 50 years!

In later life though, Bill returned to the ukulele, and is proud to state that he is still working - in fact, as well as playing live and recording, he gives ukulele lessons to students too!  His playing style harks back to his guitar days and he brings a wonderful jazzy style to the ukulele.  His records are selling tremendously well, and he is always welcomed to huge applause at the gigs and festivals he plays.

His age also brings quite startling facts to his playing - Bill started the uke at the time when the ukulele was first being invented, when the Hawaiian islands were still setting out on the imported Machete and Cavaquinho instruments brought from Portugal.  Not many players can say they bought a ukulele from one of the first ever manufacturers and yet is still wowing the crowds!

A true ukulele hero!

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Ukulele Heroes - Tessie O'Shea

Next in the series of ukulele heroes, we turn to "The Wonder Of Wales", Tessie O'Shea.

Born in Cardiff in 1913, Tessie was immediately brought up in the tradition of Music Hall, appearing on stage as young as the age of six as The Wonder Of Wales.  Working on stage, she learned the art of the stage, her trademark brash humour and also to play the ukulele and mandolin.

A large lady, the trademark part of her act was to play what became her signature song, Two Ton Tessie From Tennessee, accompanying herself on her ukulele banjo.  Through the 30's and 40's she was a regular on the show circuit, appearing on the Royal Variety Performance in 1944.  By the 1950's Tessie had established herself and had moved into recording her music.

In the 1960's, Tessie moved to the USA and embarked on an acting career, appearing on stage as Ada Cockle in the Broadway musical The Girl Who Came To Supper, a role written especially for her by Noel Coward.  In 1964 she shared the bill with The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and moved on to work in films, acting in movies such as The Blue Lamp and Disneys Bedknobs & Broomsticks.

Tessie died in 1995 having made the US her home.

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Ukulele Heroes - Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain

Back up to present day with my series of Ukulele Heroes, and to a group of players this time, who, in my view, are a big part of the resurgence in ukulele playing in the UK of late - The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain.

The group formed in 1985 as a bit of fun, but immediately found a rapidly growing fan base.  There have been several line ups but currently play as an octet of David Suich, Peter Brook Turner, Hester Goodman, George Hinchcliffe, Richie Williams, Kittie Lux, Will Grove Wright and Jonty Bankes.

The group are instantly recognisable in their sharp outfits (ball-gowns for the ladies, tuxedos for the gents) and each play an acoustic ukulele of various sizes (strictly speaking, the largest is an acoustic bass guitar played by Jonty).  The group dont choose to play ukuleles that cost the earth, and some of the instruments are very simple, thus promoting the accessibility of the ukulele.

Whilst they do compose and play their own tunes, they are perhaps best known for playing cover versions of songs that the listener would normally think unlikely to work on a ukulele, including Nirvanas "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" and "Miss Dy-Na-Mi-Tee".

Having started playing smaller gigs, with their first ever gig at the Roebuck Pub in London, their bookings got bigger and bigger.  They have since been seen on stage at the Glastonbury Festival, at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms 2009 season (of which a DVD is available on the UOGB site) and on numerous TV shows including the Jools Holland Hootenanny.  They also appeared on stage with the Kaiser Chiefs providing ukulele backing to a version of their hit "Ruby".

With a number of albums recorded and an ever increasing buzz in ukulele circles, their popularity continues to grow rapidly.

MORE ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

• David Suich - musician who also performs as Joe Bazouki in his own band - The Missing Puddings.
• Peter Brooke Turner - Also a comedian and Eurovision finalist, Peter also plays uke as his alter ego - Tony Penultimate.
• Hester Goodman - started in theatre and also appears in her own comedy and theatre shows including the Mary Poppins Experience and Elvenbitch
• George Hinchcliffe - founded the UOGB with Kitty Lux and is also the groups musical director.  Before the UOGB George was in several other bands of his own and worked as a session musician.
• Kitty Lux - co founder of the UOGB and before the group was involved with a number of punk bands.
• Richie Williams - the baritone uke player in the group - his career was founded in music, and played guitar as a session player for several major acts alongside George Hinchcliffe.
• Will Grove-Wright - also as solo musician and before the UOGB worked as a cinematographer and director
• Jonty Bankes - the bass uke player of the group and plays bass guitar in a variety of other bands.

UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN WEBSITE

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Ukulele Heroes - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

For my next instalment of Ukulele Heroes, we look at the mighty Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, more commonly known as "IZ".  A giant of a man, with the voice of an angel.

Israel was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1959 and raised in the community of Kaimuki.  Being brought up in a traditional Hawaiian family, Israel started playing music with his brother at the age of 11, taking his influences from Hawaiian music stars.

His local musical career started when he founded the band "Makaha Sons Of Ni'ihau" in 1976, and recording their first album No Kristo, and a further string of four albums.  The group quickly became the most popular traditional group in Hawaii, and the last recording Israel made with the group, 1991's Ho'oluana remains their biggest selling CD.

In 1990, his first solo album Ka'ano'i won a string of awards, but it was his 1993 album, Facing Future that brought him to worldwide acclaim with his rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, reaching 25 in the US Billboard chart and becoming the first ever album from Hawaii to go platinum.

Israel did however suffer in much of his life with a weight problem and was hospitalised on several occasions for weight related problems.  He died aged 38 in 1997 of weight related respiratory problems.  On the day of his funeral, the Hawaiian state flag flew at half mast, and his coffin lay in state at the Capital Building in Honolulu.

Since his death, his music, most commonly his rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World has been promoted countless times, on TV, in adverts, and in the films Meet Joe Black and Finding Forrester. It entered the UK singles chart where it spent 10 weeks in the top 100, and recently went to number one in Germany.

IZ is now credited as being one of the major contributors to this decades resurgence in ukulele popularity and many Hawaiians consider him their standard bearer.

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Ukulele Heroes - Roy Smeck

Next in my series of ukulele heroes, a short bio on Roy Smeck, known as "The Wizard Of The Strings".

Roy Smeck was born in 1900 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was a self taught but highly skilled player of the guitar, banjo, and ukulele.

In his twenties he broke on to the Vaudeville circuit and was known to wow crowds across the USA, playing a variety of stringed instruments.  A complete showman, Roy would be know to spin his ukulele and play it behind his head - an early day Jimi Hendrix!

He went on to make a number of hit records and starred in several films in the twenties and thirties and was a regular guest on the Ed Sullivan show.  His love of the ukulele led him to provide celebrity endorsement for the Harmony ukulele company.

Roy died at the age of 94 and was inducted into the ukulele hall of fame.

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Ukulele Heroes - Cliff Edwards

A move back now towards the first classic era of ukulele stars, with a short bio of my next ukulele hero - Cliff Edwards

Cliff Edwards, or "ukulele Ike" as he was often known, was a huge ukulele star in the 1920's and 30's and probably one of the biggest "pop stars" of his day.  In his later years he became a movie star, TV star, and provided well known voiceovers for Disney films.

Cliff was born in Hannibal, Missouri in 1895 and immediately after leaving school, moved to St Louis where he started work as an entertainer in bars and saloon, accompanied by the ukulele he had taught himself to play.  It was during this period that a bar owner named him "ukulele Ike".

He got a break on the Vaudeville ciruit in 1918, eventually working with the Ziegfield Follies.  He started making his first records in 1919, and by 1923 had become one of the most popular music stars of his day, appearing on Broadway, and having hits with songs like "I'll See You In My Dreams".  By 1929, his rendition of "Singing In The Rain" made it to number one for three weeks.

It is often accepted that Cliffs success led to the first great boom in the ukulele, with lyric and song writers prompted to write songs specifically for the uke, or to include ukulele notation on their song sheets for sale.

By the 1930's and 40's Edwards was often seen in movies as a supporting actor including The Bad Man Of Brimstone and His Girl Friday, but he is perhaps most famous as the voice of Jiminy Crickett in the Walt Disney feature cartoon Pinocchio.  Who doesn't love his rendition of "When You Wish Upon A Star"?.  Edwards provided more voice work to Disney, including one of the crows in Dumbo.

By 1949, he had his own TV show "The Cliff Edwards Show".  He continued to play and record songs with his ukulele until his death in 1971, with Disney stepping forward to pay for his headstone.

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Ukulele Heroes - George Harrison

Another hero for you and another George - this time though its the Fab George, George Harrison.

It seems pointless for me to provide a biography of the man, George Harrison, as I am sure that most of my readers will know who George is and his time in the Beatles.  The fact he was a huge fan of the ukulele is perhaps less well known to ukulele beginners.  When I say huge fan, I mean enormous.  George has reportedly been quoted claiming he liked the ukulele more than his guitar!

George recalled first encountering the ukulele at home as a child with the music and movies of George Formby, and during his life acquired some wonderful ukuleles.  I read a story that suggested that George carried two ukuleles with him when he travelled so he could be sure that he would always be able to strum with a friend.

Whether the ukulele was ever used in the backing of Beatles tracks is unclear, but George certainly used them in his solo work, and on the cover of his seminal "All Things Must Pass" album, he can be seen holding a ukulele.  When the surviving Beatles got together to put their Anthology work in place, on the recording of Free As A Bird, George can be heard in the closing bars strumming "When I'm Cleaning Windows" as a nod to his love for both George Formby and the ukulele.

George would encourage anyone around him to pick up the ukulele, and as well as John Lennon and Paul McCartney both being players, friends would get roped in to have a strum.  George's son Dhani is a fan of the uke also.

George sadly passed away in 2001.  As a fitting tribute, at the George Harrison memorial concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Paul McCartney started his tribute to George (playing the track "Something") by opening the song  accompanied only by the ukulele.  The highlight of the evening though was the closing track.  Georges great pal Joe Brown walked centre stage, ukulele in hand and sang the incredibly moving "I'll See You In My Dreams".

He also was known, despite his star status, to attend George Formby uke society meetings and built up a great friendship with fellow uker Joe Brown with a shared love of the instrument.

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Ukulele Heroes - Jake Shimabukuro

Moving on from an old school ukulele hero in the last edition, I now turn to a modern phenomenon, and what a player he is - Jake Shimabukuro.

Jake is is a 34 year old virtuoso of ukulele - and virtuoso is exactly the right word when you see him play.  Simple strums and catchy tunes are not for this player, rather sublimely complex renditions of pop, jazz and classical styles played in a mixture of strums and picks.  Jake has brought the ukulele bang into the 21st century.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, ( fifth generation Japanese American) he first picked up the uke at the age of four years old and never looked back.  He came to public attention playing alongside Lopaka Colon and Jon Yamasato in the Hawaiian band, Pure Heart, with their first album winning four of the Hawaiian grammies including 'Most Promising Artists' and 'Album of the Year'.

More recently Jake has performed solo and without a doubt has a huge career ahead.  His style is contemporary, but capable of making even the hardest of music theorists raise an eyebrow, whether he is covering Bohemian Rhapsody, or something traditionally Hawaiian.   In fact, he states his idols when growing up included Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Pat Metheny.  His rise to fame was marked last year by accompanying Bette Midler in her spot at the British Royal Variety Performance, playing uke to the Beatles "In My Life" to rapturous applause.  He has also played with Jimmy Buffett, Ziggy Marley and Cyndi Lauper.

He is also famous on the youtube rounds, but Jake is no short term sensation and be prepared to see a LOT more of him.

He claims (quite rightly in my opinion!) that the uke is the instrument of peace, and is famed for playing Kamaka instruments.

JAKE SHIMABUKURO HOMEPAGE

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Ukulele Heroes - George Formby

This is part of a new series on the blog that looks at some of the key names in ukulele history.  Whilst many associate this particular entry as somewhat ubiquitous, I am British, and thought I would start with the late, great, George Formby.

George Formby was born George Hoy Booth in 1904, in Wigan, Lancashire, England, and is fondly remembered as a film star, comedian, and most of all, a ukulele player.

George's father, James Booth, was also an entertainer in the music hall tradition, who adopted the stage name "George Formby" named after the town of Formby just north of Liverpool.    Upon the death of his father in 1921, George Jr gave up his budding career as a jockey, and entered the world of entertainment, taking on his fathers stage name and material.

In 1924, he married Beryl Ingham who became his manager, and his career started to spiral to giddy heights.  In his early career, George didnt use the uke at all, and it is rumoured that he first played it on stage as a bet with friends.  It stuck, and probably became the item most associated with George.

His act was one of bumbling clumsy yet endearing and cheeky northerner, with a little bit of sauce thrown in.  George was famed for his phrases like "Turned out nice again", and "ooh mother".

His songs, most often accompanied on the ukulele were rife with double entendre and humour, and were played in his trademark cheeky syncopated style, with some of his most famous works including Leaning On A Lampost and When I'm Cleaning Windows.

By the mid 1930's his stardom was reaching a peak and he embarked on a series of hugely successful comedy movies that were a huge box office success, his most famous being "Let George Do It"

In his later years, George was a regular at the Royal Variety Performance and received an OBE for his services to the entertainment industry.

After a bout of ill health and heart trouble, George sadly died of a heart attack in 1961, and his funeral procession was attended by an estimated 100,000 mourners.

Whilst many may now look back on George as a novelty, or even as something that puts the uke in the wrong light, I think that is most unfair. George was an international star, and there is no doubt that his love of the ukulele brought the instrument to the attention of a great many people.

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