Key people and events in ukulele history - what would you choose?

OmegaMatt

OmegaMatt

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Hi There - my Dad is an artist and has painted a number of composite pictures to represent the history of organisations and places.

He is thinking of a new work based on the ukulele. If he was to do this, what do you think are the key events, players and instruments that should feature?

I've added three examples of previous work, representing the UK seaside resort of Blackpool, the history of Newcastle United and Carlisle train station's 150th anniversary.
 

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- arrival of the Ravenscrag in Honolulu, 1879 (ship and the three original builders or a Nunes uke)
- adoption by the royal Hawaiian Household (perhaps Queen Lili'uokalani with a ukulele, first measures of Aloha 'Oe)
- spread to the continent (Henry Kailimai at the 1915 SF Panama Pacific World Exposition, perhaps with a Kamaka ukulele)
- ukulele at the movies (Ukulele Ike with a Martin ukulele)
- a continental rage (students with cheap and cheerful Chicago-built ukuleles)
- over to Europe (George Formby with a banjo ukulele)
- on television (Arthur Godfrey with plastic ukuleles)
- as a humoristic prop in cabaret (Tiny Tim with a battered resonator in a paper bag)
- on the internet (Jake Shimabukuro at the Midnight Ukulele Disco segment filmed in Central Park)
- clubs everywhere (a group of people playing and singing together, and some more outlandish ukulele shapes like fluke/flea types, boatpaddles, black bear ones)

As much I as I would like to smuggle in hot players (Sol Ho'opi, Roy Smeck, Iz, John King, James Hill) different instruments (the resonator department), further regions (Polynesian ukuleles), more women (May Singhi Breen for the classical side, Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Doris Day or Mia Farrow for their iconic scenes on the big screen), more genres (Joe Strummer with a baritone, Eddie Vedder, some 'Got Talent' contestant) but the list above is problably already way too much.
 
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Maybe George Harrison and Joe Brown for players.
Totally agree with Jake playing in Central Park. That inspired so many people (including me) to pick up an ukulele
 
Tiny Tim and his ukulele in a grocery bag.
 
You'd probably want to decide what audience the painting would be playing to. You could put a bunch of informational historical stuff on there and most people wouldn't know what/who they were looking at. If you went a more pop culture direction, a lot more people would be able to relate to it. Tiny Tim should probably be on there. Whether you liked him or not, he played a huge role in growing public awareness of the ukulele. I read his biography. It's very interesting, he had a very bittersweet life. Probably stereotypical stuff like hula girls/ukes/Hawaii beach. Marilyn Monroe from Some Like It Hot? Maybe a reference to the '20s/jazz age raccoon coat/straw boater hat/ukulele/college getup.
 
How about Izzy?
 
A young Lyle Ritz on his Gibson cutaway tenor in the recording studio.
 
Great images

Malcolm Mac where did he vanish to after he retired. Your Dad must be a real Newcastle fan to include Keegan in the centre of the image I always though the great Bobby Robson was the number 1 Manager.

Ironic that your Dad included in the Blackpool painting Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise who are forever associated with he seaside town up the coast from Blackpool from which Eric Bartholomew took his stage surname.
 
Jerryc41 said:
I'm not sure I want to be associated with him. ��
Click to expand...
He was a product of Martin and Rowan's Laugh-in. Everything they did was irreverent. And I think that he gets judged on one song, which by the way is a pretty good song, it is his falsetto that scares everyone. Mick Jagger does falsetto and his audience wets their pants. He is a product of the times. I like his rendition of Great Balls of Fire and his live performance of Earth Angel on the Ed Sullivan show with The Enchanted Forest band as his backup, a band that at the time was an oddity in itself because it was an "all girl band." Okay, enough defending Tiny Tim. I'm a big Tiny Tim fan.
 
I have never heard a song of Tiny Tim, maybe. I did not like George Formsby, really. Or any of the old time populars.
What I liked was Iz and all the nameless other players producing good music since his time.

I don't much care about Jake's virtuosity either so much as to make him like some figure to outstand. Seems a nice guy, thats all. So many others, women and males to be admired since Iz time. And those that I don't know before too in my ignorance.

I think that to treat ukulele as some grand instrument, instead everyman's songster, is not so good. Lets leave that to guitar "heroes" lol
 
Jarmo_S said:
I have never heard a song of Tiny Tim, maybe. I did not like George Formsby, really. Or any of the old time populars.
What I liked was Iz and all the nameless other players producing good music since his time.

I don't much care about Jake's virtuosity either so much as to make him like some figure to outstand. Seems a nice guy, thats all. So many others, women and males to be admired since Iz time. And those that I don't know before too in my ignorance.

I think that to treat ukulele as some grand instrument, instead everyman's songster, is not so good. Lets leave that to guitar "heroes" lol
Click to expand...

Tiny Tim was know for "Tiptoe through the Tulips" in falsetto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqfqW6RJVHw

I love George's playing and singing. I have about 125 of his songs on a USB drive in my car. I also have half a dozen of his movies.
 
Jerryc41 said:
Tiny Tim was know for "Tiptoe through the Tulips" in falsetto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqfqW6RJVHw

I love George's playing and singing. I have about 125 of his songs on a USB drive in my car. I also have half a dozen of his movies.
Click to expand...

Before you posted, I wen't to tube and found it before you posted a link. Thank you anyways. Did not like except as a speciality the tulips.

Seen a few utube vids of george formby, but they too seemed more like comic ones. The old time american comic movie characters Buster Keaton was my fave, always some tragedy too there in him.
 
George Formby
Roy Smeck
Arthur Godfrey
Tiny Tim
Izzy
George Harrison
Bette Midler
Joe Brown
Sarah Maisel
Eddie Vedder
Brian May
James Hill
 
Jarmo_S said:
Before you posted, I wen't to tube and found it before you posted a link. Thank you anyways. Did not like except as a speciality the tulips.

Seen a few utube vids of george formby, but they too seemed more like comic ones. The old time american comic movie characters Buster Keaton was my fave, always some tragedy too there in him.
Click to expand...

Yes, George was definitely funny, with many of his songs being of the double entre variety.
 
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