Cliff Edwards and Roy Smeck

hoosierhiver

hoosierhiver

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I don't really know too much about Cliff Edwards (thanks for those links!) but his song "My Weakness Now" was one of the first uke songs I heard. It has that adorable ukulele charm that helped me fall in love with the uke.
 
Looks like Cliff Edwards is changing chords virtually every strum. Jeez, I have trouble doing it on the four count...

Just because these are people from the way back days, it doesn't mean they have nothing to contribute to our modern efforts. This transcends ukuleles of course. It's great that the film lasted long enough to find a larger, modern audience. I especially like the lyrical twists of old music. -- not as blatant as today's material.

Love that old stuff? Then check out Janet Klein: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hSSJVpSYNA
She plays regularly in the Los Angeles area and her shows are real throwback type performances. They typically lead off with three or four short films or cartoons from the '30s.
 
Cliff Edwards reportedly sold over 70 million records in the 1920s and 1930s. He has an interesting strum with the index finger followed by a frail (sorry I'm an ex-pat banjo picker) with the remaining three fingers. May be standard, but it is effective. Dr. Uke has the chord progressions for "I'll see you in my dreams" on his website. Went through them last night and they seem correct with a couple chords as bridges I am sticking on too long - must be grace chords.....

There is a great vid of him playing "Hang On to Me" after passing his cigarette to a young lady sitting next to him. She tosses the cigarette away repeatedly and proceeds to pull a series of lit cigarettes from behind his ear, behind his lapel, etc.

Nice voice too, which along with his fame is why Disney cast him as Jiminy Crickett.
 
I've had some old uke books by Cliff and Roy kicking around for years (they belonged to my grandfather), but never really listened to them play until now.
Love Cliff's strum! I wouldn't mind stealing that technique.

And it looks as though Roy Smeck taught PureMarkAaron a few things. ;)
 
Cliff Edwards

haole said:
I've had some old uke books by Cliff and Roy kicking around for years (they belonged to my grandfather), but never really listened to them play until now.
Love Cliff's strum! I wouldn't mind stealing that technique.

And it looks as though Roy Smeck taught PureMarkAaron a few things. ;)
Click to expand...

I have been looking for the chords to "Hang on to me" - you wouldn't happen to have them in the book would you?

His arrangement of Paper Doll is good as well.

I agree the strumming and rapid chord progressions are pretty smooth - and the ease with which he does the rapid chord changes is pretty astounding. Lots of slides on Hang on to Me.
 
I remember watching some Roy Smeck videos just before buying my first ukulele He was playing the "Vita" model with the clapping seals soundholes and by chance the Ukuleleshop (now defunct) in the UK were selling Ohana Vita ukes and that was the one I went for.

It is a lovely little instrument.

When will Mainland bring out a Smeck Vita model :)

It would be a tribute to a great ukulele player

Harmony Roy Smeck Vita Ukulele (made 1928)
 
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Harold O. said:
I don't want to change the thread, but he calls it yoo-koo-laylee. Of course, he was a white guy...

Imagine $2000 per week for playing Vaudeville! OK, that'd be right at the top, but still, thems good strummin' bucks.
Click to expand...

At that time period, everyone called the instrument by the same pronunciation. That was before wide-spread awareness of Hawai'ian culture and way before anyone ever tried to preserve the original names or pronunciations of words native to other cultures. Think of karate? How do you pronounce it?

kah-dah-tay? by chance??? Most likely kuh-rot-tee or something similar.

Phonetic spellings are used above for example. This is the most common example I can think of that most people have no clue that they pronounce the "American way".
 
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