Hello everyone! I am back. If you remember from my last blog entry, I told you about the late George Harrison’s love for the ukulele. Well, over the last few years I have learned of several other famous musicians that loved playing the ukulele as well.
Did you know that another member of the famed Fab Four, a.k.a. The Beatles, also loved playing the ukulele? The other ukulele aficionado of the Beatles was Sir Paul McCartney. This might explain why a lot of The Beatles music translates well to the ukulele.
And, did you know that Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam was a fan of the ukulele too? Eddie put out an album in May of 2011, titled Ukulele Songs. He toured in 2012 in smaller venues to promote the album and there are several videos posted on You Tube from this album. My favorite is the duet he did with Cat Powers of “Tonight You Belong To Me.” You might also remember the duet of this song by Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin in the movie, “The Jerk.”
Also, did you know that Jimi Hendrix…yes, I did say Jimi
Hendrix,… that his first instrument was the ukulele? In 1957, while helping his father with a side-job, Hendrix
found a ukulele amongst the garbage they were removing from an older woman’s home. She told him that he could keep the instrument, which had only one
string. Learning by ear, he played single notes, following along to Elvis Presley songs, particularly “Hound Dog.”
Like I have always said, “playing the ukulele is the most fun you can have with four stings.” Keep strumming and enjoy your journey!
You heard it, straight from da Cat!
