BLUES UKULELE ! ! ! Doooooo whaaaaaaaattt ?

[ragzdaddy]

Just for something way different to most of the real musicians in here, that are by all means well above and beyond even my hoped skill level, I thought I'd toss in the vid link for the sake of something way off typical base.

YUP ! I play blues ukulele. YUP ! I was ribbed tremendously when I first took on the endeavor. Now I am building mine own very odd resonator blues ukulele'. Nope, they are not for sale, (not that anyone would want one anyway). I just do is for fun.

So if you are quite bored and need something odd and different to see/hear, I offer this vid up. But be ye warned, within the 1st few seconds of the vid, I do a voice dissertation to explain how I came to the uke and of course Blues Uke. lol. Although there is a sound byte in the last half or so of the vid.

NO ! I am no virtuoso by any means. This is not to post some amazing skill level of playing. It's only intended to be what it is, and that is that it is a bit different and that blues can and will be played on a Resonator Ukulele as long as this old worn out boy is kicking.

Hope at least one person enjoys this.........

RAGZDADDY

[Dessery]

Both Del Rey and Adam Franklin are excellent blues ukulele players. I can highly recommend checking out their stuff.

Had the pleasure of watching Del Rey perform at blues week a couple of years back, she had tons of people running to the local music shop the next day looking for ukelele's. Interesting stuff!!!

Thanks
David

[Dessery]

Here is a clip if Del Rey (not to be confused with Lana Del Rey who it appears also plays ukelele):

Del Rey plays a resonator ukulele:

And Adam Franklin:

Adam Franklin-Bad Luck Blues-Live at The George-P…:

Thanks
David

[zak71]

www.wirz.de/music/muserfrm.htm





www.arhoolie.com/jazz/lemon-nash-papa-lemon.html?sl=EN

[pete1951]

You are not alone! If you can make a noise on it, you can play Blues on it.

PT
(the body is a 7pint beer can, and because I`m too mean to buy a cover-plate it has a `Full Metal Jacket` front)

[washboardchris]

Hi, take a look at Little Laura Dukes who was one time girlfriend on Robert Nighthawk & some time banjo ukulele player with the Memphis Jug Band.cant think of any heavy (for want of a better word) blues players but but there were quite a few good time blues & hokum players.Even Cliff Edwards(the voice of Jiminey Cricket) AKA ukulele Ike ventured into that field(see his compilation LP on Yazoo "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir)

[ragzdaddy]

Thanks for the responses guys. I was a little leary the ResoUke might not be accepted here to strongly.

And thanks for the great links as well. Although I do have most everything those guys have produced and published already in hand. Great stuff. Del Rey is one of my all time fav hero sorts. But I guess to go really out on a limb and state my personal all time fav reso player, I suppose I'll stick with Charlie Parr at the top of my list. Although he doesn't play uke that I know of.

RAGZDADDY

[ragzdaddy]

But if I were to say who my fav blues and of course multi genre resouke player to date is, it would have to be Aaron Keem of "The Quiet American".

[ragzdaddy]

These are the Bean Sprout BanjoUkes Aaron Keim builds as a luthier at Mya Moe ukulele' if you happen to have not run across these guys. They build some really sweet ResoUkes.

Their link. www.myamoeukuleles.com/model%20resonator.php

[ragzdaddy]

And for the Jug Band conehead sorts, here's a little TG reso and Lap Reso juggernaut effort from The Quiet American.

[ragzdaddy]

Dec 4, 2014 17:54:57 GMT washboardchris said:

Hi, take a look at Little Laura Dukes who was one time girlfriend on Robert Nighthawk & some time banjo ukulele player with the Memphis Jug Band.cant think of any heavy (for want of a better word) blues players but but there were quite a few good time blues & hokum players.Even Cliff Edwards(the voice of Jiminey Cricket) AKA ukulele Ike ventured into that field(see his compilation LP on Yazoo "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir)I'm loving this thing washboardchris. Got a sound byte of it? What's the scale? Info?

[ragzdaddy]

YUP ! It's a daily celebration on my part the more and more Blues Ukulele comes forth. But as mentioned, when I first dove off into Uke Blues, it was nearly non-existent at best. In fact, it was laughable amongst musicians. I stay pretty excited about it every time I see any new effort of it.

WHOOT ! WHOOT !

A photo of a few of the ResoUkes I currently possess.

[Colin McCubbin]

Here's a blue ukulele! ;-)



This is a beautifully hand-painted & restored National Triolian uke. When I found it some 20 years ago, it had been stripped of it's paint and then chrome(!) plated very badly. The chrome was lifting off and could literally be picked off with a fingernail!. So rather than try and reproduce the original paintwork, Steve Evans of Beltona took it apart and had the chrome stripped using reverse-electroplating.

Ali Allen, a set painter and designer in Leeds, UK (who designed the Beltona logo) then hand painted it, finally Steve Evans then rebuilt it. Thanks Steve and Ali!!

[ragzdaddy]

Great save. What a sweety. As for the chrome plating that was on it, apparently whoever did that wasn't aware that steel is the aorse thing to nickel plate. I like the blue for sure. Om one that doesn't mind battle scars. It part of a larger piece of lore than there perfect scratchless vintage piece..

[Colin McCubbin]

BTW Acoustic Guitar magazine had an issue, Spring 1013, focused on the ukulele. It included a "Blues on the Uke" lesson by Fred Sokolow. I never saw the article/issue, anyone here got a copy?