Topic: Country Blues and the Ukulele

[hms]

Hi guys,
attended a workshop and concert given by Manitoba Hal this weekend. He plays blues on the Uke. (And damned good he is too!)
He suggested an interesting idea, one that he cannot find anything to support his supposition, but it would seem  reasonable.
At the beginning of the last century, most people would have started playing on ukes, based on the fact that people would have shopped through the Sears catalogue, and a Uke would have been more affordable than a guitar. (I know people were also building their own Cigar Box guitars and didly bow's.)
I believe Lewis 'Rabbit' Muse used to play the baritone Uke, but not aware of anyone else. (There seems to be a mention of Lemon Nash on the forum but cannot find any further details!)
Anyone have any information to support/undermine this theory?
Thanks in advance.
h

[wreid75]

I don't know of any artists that he can point to that said they started on a Ukulele.  Maybe someone else can remember someone who started this way.

[Norfolk Slim]

I'd be hugely surprised.

The uke was a very Hawaiian instument and associated with that sound and music.  I doubt it was immediately attractive to most rural blues musicians.  As a solo instrument it would never have been much good for a juke joint or house party, for dancing to- given the relatively modest volume and lack of bass etc for driving rhythms.

As part of an ensmble, perhaps, but its absence even from jug bands etc (in favour of mandolin, which would occupy a similar aural position but with probably more power) suggests not.

[alyoung]

It sounds to me like a bit of revisionism -- ukuleles are very popular today, so they must have very popular a hundred years ago too. A few ukes crop up in old-timey country music, but the only blues uke player I can think of off the top of my head is Laura Dukes. I'm with Norfolk Slim -- the uke was very much a Hawaiian instrument, and even in that style it did not achieve the wider popularity on the mainland and beyond that the steel guitar did. Has anyone got access to any of those old mail order catalogs (or repros)? Did outfits like Sears advertise ukes in the old days?

BTW, for some ukulele playing, have a look at


His name is Sione Aleki, he's Tongan, he's effectively blind  ... and although the video quality isn't that great, yes, he's really playing that.

[Laura]

This thread and all the talk of Willie Mctell reminded me of something he said on the last sessions recordings about learning Salty Dog from Papa Charley Jackson and he was playing Ukulele.  Excuse to post this, nice!

[tmylet]

I would have agreed with all that's been said until a few weeks ago when I read a review of the Papa Lemon CD recently released on Arhoolie. I ordered it on the spot and it's been in regular rotation since.

He was a New Orleans uke player who started in Medicine Shows in the twenties and played into the 60's. A fair part of the tunes on the CD are what you'd expect: pop from between the two world wars. But there's also a few twelve bar blues, Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, etc.

He talks about Medicine Shows, playing with Rabbit Brown and so on. One of the best CDs I've stumbled into in a good while. A real surprise from out of left field. Recommended.

Tom Mylet

[hms]

"In 1915 the ukulele was shown in a Hawaiian exhibition at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and that seems to have launched the mainland craze."
Quoted from http://www.ianchadwick.com/ukuleles/history.htm

The uke was apparently shown in Chicago in 1895, but did not make an impression.

Laura, Papa Charley Jackson, great have to do some googling on him.
Tmyley, off to find that Papa Lemon CD....Just checked Arhoolie want more than the cost of the CD for shipping, so that's a no for now!
H

[Mike Billo]

 There is a Document album, "Hokum Blues" DOCD 5370, devoted entirely to Pre-War Blues and Hokum played on the Ukulele, Danny Small, Ukulele Mays and The Pebbles. All Ukulele Pre-war Blues

   Although Rabbit Muse didn't record until the '60's or '70's, he was an active Ukulele Player in the Pre-War medicine shows.

  Two of the coolest things YouTube has to offer are the two videos of Eddie Thomas and Carl Scott




  Not Blues, but certainly establishes the Ukulele as being in use by Pre-War, African-American Musicians.
  I suspect there were many more Uke Players who, simply never got recorded.

  I think the "Ukes were more affordable so folks started on them instead of Guitars", argument, holds water
 
    I, myself, was a gigging Harmonica and Uke Player, in my 30's before I ever picked up a Guitar
   

[Mike Billo]

 BTW, on the recommendation in HMS' post, which began this thread, I checked out some of Manitoba Hal online.
 You weren't kidding. That guy's really good. I like his stuff a lot.
Thanks for turning us on to him

[hms]

According to Lardy Ukulele Database, Sears Roebuck first inlcuded the Uke in it's 1914 catalogue.

You're welcome with the Manitoba Hal introduction Mike.
My favourite track has to be MJH's Let the Mermaids flirt with me.

H

[mr mando]

No doubt there was a uke craze a hundred years ago. It's pretty safe to assume that it went through all parts of society. On the other hand, the craze was over after a couple of years, and most cheap ukes tended to collapse because they were so lightly built.   

Mike Billo already mentioned Danny Small and Ukulele Mays. There's also Joe Linthecome on DOCD-5392 and I'm sure there were more african american prewar musicians recording on ukuleles, but I can't think of any names right now apart from Victoria Spivey. Does Big Boy Teddy Edwards' use of the Tiple count?

[hms]

Asking on the Cosmos Uke forum came up with this:

Judging by the headstock shape (rounded-off crown), the really close position of the pegs and the rather low sitting soundhole (halfway down the waist, instead of just 1/4), I'd bet on an early Regal. Which would fit in the just mail-order theory, although even the more expensive brands were often mail-ordered as well.

and

It looks like a brass plaque at the top of the head..? Perhaps for the selling store rather than manufacturer? The position of the pegs (very high up on the headstock in comparison to a Martin) and the body shout Chicago Regal to me....exactly same as my 1920s shape

So early Regal would be the concensus so far, with he brass plaque being fitted by the store that sold it, which would then probably rule it out being a Sears Roebuck purchase.
h

[bnemerov]

Hi all,
See the youtube link below for Ukulele Bob's "Go 'Long Mule."
He was a black vaudeville entertainer and though it's not country blues, it does point up the intersection of A-A professional entertainment and vernacular music---a subject well documented by Doug Seroff & Lynn Abbott in their books.
Ukulele Bob makes his appearance a couple of minutes into this three minute piece tracing the interesting history of the song.



best,
bruce

[hms]

Thanks guys for all the responses, some great recommendations.
Thanks.
H

[Bald Melon Jefferson]

"  Two of the coolest things YouTube has to offer are the two videos of Eddie Thomas and Carl Scott "

indeed! Thanks for that,
Gary

[Lignite]

The first ukulele craze during the last century seemed to last during the 1920s until the Depression. Martin supposedly produced more ukes during this decade than guitars and ukulele chords were featured in most pieces of popular sheet music at this time. During the 1930s the uke really lost out in popularity and folks seemed to prefer a tougher sound that seemed to reflect the times. I think the artists who most influenced the popularity of mainland uke playing were Wendell Hall who hit with It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo' in 1923 and Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) who reigned uke king and was emulated by most others including a semblance of his his scat vocal breaks. Ukulele Bob Williams seems the bluesiest of the black uke players on the Document Hokum Blues collection. Danny Small and Ukulele Mays seem more influenced by vaudeville and the crooners while The Pebbles seem to be nearly jazz. I would consider Big Boy Teddy Edwards to be a blues uke player as the tiple is tuned and played like a uke but has a different sound as it has a chorus of 10 metal strings.

[hms]

Searching around the Weenie Forum, 'cos I'm sure I saw it here, but didn't Ukulele Bob Williams give lessons to Ukulele Ike? Or am I totally confuddled!

Found the thread, it was on the Four sting Farmhouse forum, here:
http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/reply/1652430/Re-Bob-Williams-First-Great-American-Uke-Player

h

[Mike Billo]

  Bob Williams has been credited in other places as being the guy who, Ukulele Ike, supposedly said, taught him to play, but there doesn't seem to be any source other than people say it's so. If somebody could produce a good source for that quote I'd be eager to see it.

   I don't believe there is was any connection between Williams and Smeck, as referenced at the Martin Forum link, but I could certainly find myself standing corrected if some evidence were presented.

[hms]

I don't think we will ever know.
But we will have fun trying to find out. I like the serendipity of finding out other unrelated stuff that often surprises, amazes or just make us question!
h

[One-Eyed Ross]

When I look at the Lester Levy sheet music collection ( http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/) there is a LOT of music which have uke chords...  Of course, this isn't blues music, but it does show that the uke was a well used instrument at the time.  (late teens, early 20s)

[Mike Billo]

 Right you are, Ross. Most sheet music of the '20's will have Uke chords. During that period, Martin Ukes outsold Martin guitars, according to martin

[phil_doleman]

Hi hms, fancy seeing you here!
Currently listening to Lemon Nash and popped over here for some lyric confirmations, and spotted this thread. Hal is a friend, and I've be lucky enough to do some gigs with him (I also play blues/ early jazz uke). Interesting stuff regarding blues musicians possibly using the uke. The thing that was pointed out to me was that, like the idea that  all of these guys played National guitars (most didn't, they were expensive!), we only really see the players that made it big enough to be recorded, photographed and filmed. It's quite likely that among the many, many players who we're completely unaware of there were a few who could only afford a uke!

[hms]

Hi Phil,
fancy meeting you here also! Adam Franklin is also spotted around these parts.
Winnin boy, on hold with that at the moment, probably one for next month, 3 different pickin' sections, a bit too much for this month, so working up Four Until Late for this month. A picking intro and all first position stuff, nothing too complicated!
Hal's post Verplayers workshop session, along with yours and Del Rey's can be found on the Verplayers website, here:
http://www.verplayers.org.uk/ver-players/
(Use the Workshop drop down menu to show all options.)

Oh happy days!
h

[Blind Boy Joe]

I'd love to hear ukes and dulcimers played at a high level on country blues music.

[hms]

Here's another player, found in a post by Mr Mando on this forum, and is a quote from Ishmon Bracey, in Chasin, That Devil Music by Gayle Dean Wardlow, about Geeshie Wiley

Quote
The four tunes (actually six) that Wiley recorded solo and with Elvie Thomas for Paramount in 1930 and 1931 establish her as one of the greatest female blues artists. According to Ishman Bracey, she hailed from the vicinity of Natchez. In the 1920s she spent three months in Jackson as a resident of John Hart Street; while there, she played in a medicine show. 'She could play a guitar, but she had a guitar player with her,' Bracey said. 'She'd play a guitar, and a ukulele too.' While in Jackson, she took up with Charlie McCoy.
Unquote.

As it seems she only recorded 6 sides with Elvie Thomas, so it seems we will be unable to hear her play the uke..