THE UKULELE’S ORIGINS
The name of the ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-lay-lay in Hawaiian) literally means jumping flea, a name thought to be a result of the instrument’s bright sound and the way in which skilled players’ fingers appear to fly across the strings.
The story of the Ukulele starts when Portuguese immigrants arrived in Hawaii in the late 1800’s. Having left the north of Portugal, they came to Hawaii to work in the sugar plantations. Among their belongings they brought with them numerous styles of small, guitar-like instruments. These included the Machete de Braga and the Cavaquinho which are often considered the direct ancestors of the Ukulele. Legend has it that one immigrant, Joao Fernandez, played his Machete and sang Portuguese folk songs, charming the indigenous Hawaiians with its sweet sound. In particular, King of Hawaii, King David Kalākaua, became enamoured of the instrument, bringing his own wherever he went, which of course made the instrument very fashionable. By the early 20th century the ukulele was firmly established in Hawaiian culture. Stand-out manufacturers of the Ukulele were the Portuguese cabinet makers, Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias.
UKULELES SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
In 1915 the Ukulele (along with the Lap Steel Guitar) reached the mainland through its feature in the Hawaiian Pavilion at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Before long it was appearing in the music of Tin Pan Alley and was briefly adopted as a rhythm instrument in the Jazz Age.
Tiny Tim with Ukulele
Photo by Kamuke Ukulele Magazine
Thus began the Ukulele’s surge of popularity and its spread across the globe: from the Americas, to Europe, to Asia – even in Japan during World War II when music from North America was banned, the Ukulele was played for small audiences in secret. It reached an apex of popularity in the 60s with Tiny Tim’s hit song, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”.
THE CANADIAN CONNECTION
An interesting and important intersection between the histories of the ukulele and musical education in Canada came in the 1960s when J. Chalmers Doane introduced the instrument as a unique, practical and inexpensive teaching instrument to Canadian classrooms.
J. Chalmers Doane and James Hill on stage at the International Ukulele Ceilidh in Nova Scotia (2008)
The peak of the Doane Program had upwards of 50,000 school children, as well as adults, learning the instrument. The program was revised in 2008 in a collaboration between Doane and Canadian Ukulele virtuoso, James Hill.
RESURGENCE OF THE UKE
Hall & Oates performing at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit with Patrick Monahan of Train
In the 1990s the Ukulele began a renaissance in pop music, when Israel Kamakawiwo’ole beautifully melancholic medley, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” became a cultural phenomenon. The song, released on the best-selling Hawaiian album of all time, Facing Future, has been used in many soundtracks, and reached number 12 on Billboard’s Hot Digital Tracks chart in January 2004. Israel’s attitude toward music summed up the spirit of the Ukulele well, when he described his approach to music as: “minimal effort, maximum pleasure”.
Photo by Fender.com
Spurred by Israel’s hit, the instrument had a strong revival in the 2000s. The ukulele became a mainstay on the radio with hits like “Hey Soul Sister” by Train (2009) and “RipTide” by Vance Joy (2013). Even Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam released the entire album of ukulele songs in 2011 simply entitled “Ukulele Songs”. More recently, Billie Eilish put the instrument to great use on her song, “Party Favor”, a darker themed song than is usually played on the instrument. The pop icon has also partnered with Fender Guitars on the release of the signature Billie Eilish Ukulele. This pairing is sure to lead to even more people picking up the uke and is further evidence of the ukulele’s enduring appeal. A hundred plus years on, the ukulele continues to ride the up and down waves of popularity, but its charm and utility endure.
