In 1968, a heavyset, 6-foot-1-inch-tall gentleman calling himself Tiny Tim had a hit with his rendition of “Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me.” He sang the song in a startlingly high falsetto, accompanying himself on a ukulele.
A mere 40 years later, Jason Mraz scored a ukulele-centered hit with “I’m Yours,” which spawned a multitude of “How to Play ‘I’m Yours’” videos.
The ukulele is not the most prevalent instrument in contemporary popular music. But it’s there and it’s there more often in the 21st Century than it was in the last half of the 20th.
Pop stars such as Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift play the ukulele. It’s heard on recordings by indie rock outfits such as Magnetic Fields, Tune-Yards and Noah and the Whale.
Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder bought a uke on vacation in Hawaii, which spawned a solo album from him with the title – wait for it – Ukulele Songs.
Hawaii is ukulele central, and it’s prevalent on traditional Hawaiian music as well as some more modern takes by folks from the islands.
Where most of the artists mentioned above will strum the uke to accompany their vocals, Hawaiian uke players, well, play. They’re inspired by the instrument’s traditions, but they’re inspired by the likes of Eddie Van Halen too.
The late ukulele master and singer Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole, also known as Iz, released a medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” in 1993. The song spent the rest of the decade steadily growing ubiquitous through its use in advertisements, films and television shows.
Jake Shimabukuro was the new millennium’s new ukulele star. In the early 2000s, Jake’s version of George Harrison’s* “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was a viral sensation and this was back when being a viral sensation really meant something, darn it. Jake turned that digital calling card into a career that’s seen him spread the uke gospel across the planet. This year Jake partnered with drummer Mick Fleetwood for a blues album (Blues Experience) and tour.
The most recent ukulele-slinging performer from the islands is Taimane Tauiliili Bobby Gardner who, for obvious reasons, goes by Taimane professionally. Taimane was mentored by none other than Don Ho, the man who was Hawaiian music to the rest of the world for decades. Her repertoire stretches from Bach to Zeppelin, and her originals blend traditional Hawaiian rhythms and melodies with the dynamics of rock, classical and flamenco.
Taimane performs Sunday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. in Jaeb Theater. Check out her appearance on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert.
While the ukulele is forever part of Hawaii’s cultural family, it’s adopted, not native. Portuguese immigrants brought in to work on sugar plantations, brought with them a stringed instrument called a machete, from which the uke directly descended.
Iz, Jake and Taimane all helped make it clear that the ukulele, often treated as a novelty, is anything but, and that musicians can express themselves with it, just as legitimately as with a piano or violin.
*Beatle George Harrison loved the ukulele, amassed a large collection including many rare and valuable instruments, and indoctrinated friends such as Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty into the ways of the uke. Harrison, who passed in 2001, passed that love of the uke to his son Dhani, who must have made the old man proud when Fender brought out a Dhani Harrison signature ukulele in 2021.