George Harrison Explains Why Everyone Should Play the Uke

What is most amusing about that letter is that it is the foreword for a song book called Jumpin' Jims 60s Uke-In compiled by Jim Beloff of Fleamarket Music, who has the FMM website which has one of the original ukulele bulletin boards dating from the late 1990s and is still going. The letter has been cut and pasted a lot but none of the hip cool hipsters who post it seem to want to associate it with the book which has a lovely flower power cover, an interesting name, and was compiled by Jim Beloff who is one of the people behind Fleas and Flukes. Of course the book also has a number of Beatles tunes arranged for ukulele and Harrison's great tunes. I often wonder when I see a thing like this whether Jim has been too successful for the liking of some people. But of course the letter is a Relic, a wonderful memory of a great musician who loved his ukuleles as well as being the foreword for a songbook.
If you search on "Jim Beloff George Harrison" you can probably find the story behind the letter, it is there somewhere.

Cool thanks for this tidbit.
 
What is most amusing about that letter is that it is the foreword for a song book called Jumpin' Jims 60s Uke-In compiled by Jim Beloff of Fleamarket Music, who has the FMM website which has one of the original ukulele bulletin boards dating from the late 1990s and is still going. The letter has been cut and pasted a lot but none of the hip cool hipsters who post it seem to want to associate it with the book which has a lovely flower power cover, an interesting name, and was compiled by Jim Beloff who is one of the people behind Fleas and Flukes. Of course the book also has a number of Beatles tunes arranged for ukulele and Harrison's great tunes. I often wonder when I see a thing like this whether Jim has been too successful for the liking of some people. But of course the letter is a Relic, a wonderful memory of a great musician who loved his ukuleles as well as being the foreword for a songbook.
If you search on "Jim Beloff George Harrison" you can probably find the story behind the letter, it is there somewhere.

If you notice, the letter was written on Flea Market Music stationery. I saw Jim Beloff tell the story behind it recently. According to Jim, George Harrison visited him at his (Jim's) home after having read a book Jim had written about the history of the ukulele because George wanted to see Jim's ukulele collection. During the visit, Jim asked George to write a few words about ukuleles, and George wrote the short note posted by the OP. When Jim was preparing to publish his 60s compilation book, the first to include sheet music of Beatles songs for ukulele, he received George's permission to publish the letter as the foreward to that book.
 
I wonder what happened to the Uke he was playing in the tune captured in the last video? Would be really something special to have that!

I also noted when George played he used his pinky for the C chord. I've heard a few people recommend this approach as after it becomes second nature it facilitates faster transitions.
 
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A vast majority of his instruments are in possession of his estate. Pretty sure the Let It Be tele was the last one that was floating around out there.
 
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