The Cliff Edwards Story (Ukulele Ike)

Cliff Edwards sings “I Feel Pessimistic”.

Cliff Edwards sings “I Did It With My Little Ukelele” with James Dunn looking on.

An excerpt from the book “Famous Solos & Duets for the ‘Ukulele” edited and arranged by John King
THE MUSIC
T. H. Rollinson’s setting of the traditional tune The Blue Bells of Scotland as a theme with one variation offered a glimpse of the solo possibilities of the ‘ukulele at an early date. The arrangement includes scales, broken chords and arpeggios, and an implied polyphonic texture. More accurately described as a fragment, The Blue Bells of Scotland could easily have been mistaken for music written for unaccompanied violin or mandolin. The inclusion …

An excerpt from the book “Famous Solos & Duets for the ‘Ukulele” edited and arranged by John King
THE METHODS
One Hawaiian who believed the ‘ukulele was “not an invention but rather a creation” was Ernest Ka‘ai (1881-1962), the “most eminent of Hawaiian musicians” and arguably the most influential musical figure in Hawai‘i in the first quarter of the 20th century. A gifted performer on many instruments including the mandolin, guitar and ‘ukulele, Ka‘ai was also an impressario, teacher, publisher and recording artist and he owned an ‘ukulele manufacturing company. Known in …

An excerpt from the book “Famous Solos & Duets for the ‘Ukulele” edited and arranged by John King
THE ‘UKULELE
The ‘ukulele is not an indigenous Hawaiian instrument but was introduced into the Islands by the Portuguese at some date prior to the beginning of the 20th century. Most scholars fix the date of introduction at 1879, though it could have been earlier. It was in late August of that year that the three men most closely identified with the early history of the little four-stringed guitar arrived in Honolulu: Augusto Dias …

Roy Smeck was one of the truly great American popular musicians of the 20th century, one whose name would be as recognizable as Louis Armstrong’s or Les Paul’s if he hadn’t specialized in a “minor” instrument, the ukulele. As a boy, Smeck was obsessed with learning to play musical instruments, and he almost suffered a nervous breakdown from his relentless practicing. He eventually narrowed his focus down to the guitar, banjo, and harmonica, and somewhere around the time of America’s entry into World War One, he began performing on the …