Are ukuleles enjoying a resurgence in popularity? George Harrison (of the Beatles, hello!) was a huge ukulele player and proponent. Tiny Tim was also a uke strummer but most people would rather forget that. Now it seems that this 4-string mini-guitar-like instrument is making a small but eloquent comeback.
Origins of the Ukulele
Invented by Portugese immigrants in Hawaii, the ukulele has the advantage of being small and portable. It's better than a back-packer type guitar because it has a richer, fuller tone than the portable guitar. The ukulele may be second fiddle to the guitar since it's smaller and has four strings to the guitar's six, but it's still an instrument that has a wide range of tone.
There are also several sizes of ukulele such as:
- soprano 13”
- concert 15”
- tenor 17”
- baritone 19”
There are also rarer ukes in sopranino and bass.
Ukulele Festivals Around the World
Besides Hawaii, there are ukulele festivals in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, Colorado, Chicago, Florida, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin. There are international ukulele festivals in Belgium, England, Italy, New Zealand and Sweden.
The Uke in Popular Culture
The popular TV show, Scrubs, has a female character named Stephanie Gooch who goes around playing her ukulele. It's a weird and funny TV show and the quirky character Gooch is played by Kate Micucci. There is a cute video making the rounds where the Gooch character sings a duet with a potential love interest. It is charming and funny.
There are also ukulele virtuosos such as Jake Shimabukuro of Hawaii, whose fast fingers make you forget you are listening to a cute, little uke. This guy is the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele, especially on his version of George Harrison's “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Danielle Ate the Sandwich
If you haven't heard of Danielle Ate the Sandwich, chances are good you will soon. Born in Nebraska but currently residing in Fort Collins, Colorado, Danielle Anderson is a singer songwriter who backs herself up on a Samich UK-60 Greg Bennett design ukulele. (Check out her uke strap on her videos, only the best for this hip chick.) Drawing her inspiration from words and experiences, Danielle also admires the work of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Danielle's second CD is entitled Things People Do, and reveals a sensitive soul with a wicked sense of humor. (And all recorded in her kitchen.)
There is also Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele. Dent's languid yet soulful singing voice leads a wonderful cover of Prince's When You Were Mine.
So the next time you hear the plunky-plunky of a ukulele backing up your favorite singer, you'll know that the Uke Renaissance has hit and it's here to stay for awhile. A tip of the writing lid to good friend Doug Van Gundy who is now the proud owner of several ukes. Check out his version of James Brown's I Feel Good here.
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