Live Music Calendar

Here you’ll find resources following up on various uke workshops.

If you have mp3s or youtube links you think would be helpful to others for  my tunes, send them to me and I’ll post them here as well. You can also send me your tablature and corrections at delrey@delreyplays.com. The original tunes are for your use only-don’t disseminate them as I don’t have copyright.

Ukulele Daily!

King

You Run and Tell Your Daddy Lawd!

Charlie Jordon on guitar 1937:

Del Rey on uke 2007:

Up The Country

Barbecue Bob’s version:

Del Rey’s uke version of Up The Country:

Keep It Clean

Charlie Jordan:

and Del Rey’s Keep It Clean on uke:

 

K.C. Moan

The Memphis Jugband:

Del Rey at The Jumping Flea in Rotterdam teaching the “uke jugband” KC Moan parts :

Blues pdf

Rabbit Muse plays Rocking Chair Blues

The Chic Cheick teaches Apolo! Rozphoto.

A few years ago at Port Townsend Blues Festival I invited Cheick Hamala Diabate to come teach the ukes something. I figured since his Malian style of guitar was often capoed way up it would translate in an interesting way to uke. He taught us to play “Apolo”. Ukuleles really can play everything (at least as long as he was with us!)

Listen to 

Apolo AN NY KONY KADY-APOLO DENY-KOUN SIGUI KANYI APOLO AN ALA LEENO ILA DIY ALATAN

(Thanks to George for the mp3 of the chic Cheick!)

 

Memphis Style Music for Ukulele

The jugband and blues styles of Memphis in the 1920s and ’30s fit well on the ukulele. There are parts to get from the mandolin, the harmonica and even the guitar (!) Here are the originals for the tunes I’ve adapted from the MJB (Memphis Jugband), Gus Cannon, Frank Stokes, Memphis Minnie and Bo Carter that sit well on uke. To start, here’s a great youtube playlist with a selection of my uke versions from various workshops, kindly complied by UK ukster Liz Panton.

Followed by original versions from Back In The Day…

Tapping That Thing MJB

Mississippi Waltz MJB

Bottle Up and Go MJB

Bottle Up and Go explained on ukulele

Bottle Up and Go lyrics (there’s plenty more-or make some up!)

I love my baby, she loves me too Don’t give a goshdarn what she do You gotta bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Oh you high flyin’ women, Lord you gotta bottle up I took my baby in the new V8 Step on the ’celerator don’t make me late You gotta bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Oh you high flyin’ women, Lord you gotta bottle up I’ll tell my mama, tell my pa Can’t say yes but I won’t say no You gotta bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Bottle up and go, beedle-um-bum Oh you high flyin’ women, Lord you gotta bottle up

 

You May Leave (Satisfied) MJB

I Don’t Want That Junk- Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe

Tired Chicken Gus Cannon

Tired Chicken explained on ukulele

Law’s Gonna Step On You Bo Carter

Downtown Blues The Memphis Sheiks (Frank Stokes and Dan Sane)

Here is a video of me explaining the Downtown Blues uke parts slowly-thanks to the Oxford Ukulele club.

Here are the lyrics (slightly modified by me)

Downtown Blues #2 Frank Stokes and Dan Sane I’m going downtown gonna stay round there till dark (2x) You don’t like my treatment make you another stop I don’t drink whiskey crazy about my beer (2x) I feel so good must be a brand new year It’s nine yards carry me to your back door (2x) If the times keep tough I won’t make that trip no more When you lay down at night you go to sleep and try and take your rest (2x) You get the call 4:45 wake up great god and try and do your best What makes me know my good gal likes me so (2x) She always takes her time does her work everywhere she goes.

Fingerpicking a fiddletune  using re-entrant tuning:

Here’s a tune from Walt Koken and I take it slow-the numbers at the bottom of each chord shape are the right hand picking order. Slow uke version:

and here’s the original by Walt Koken (sorry about the kid noise; I recommend you buy his excellent album for a kid-free listen!)  :

Mama Don’t You Think I Know

Here’s Papa Charlie Charlie Jackson’s , followed by my