Those of us who first picked up a ukulele in this century owe a lot to those who blazed the trail before us. Most know that the ukulele has its roots in Hawaii, but did you know that it was actually the Portuguese who developed the forerunner to the ukulele we know and love today? It was an instrument called the "machete" that was brought to the islands by men who came to work on the islands in the sugar plantations in 1879. They began playing the little instrument to the delight of the islanders and their royalty. The instrument was soon being made in Hawaii by men who came to Hawaii on the same ship and it developed into the iconic instrument associated with the islands.
While the ukulele made incursions to the mainland before this date, it really caught on at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Hawaii hosted a pavilion and had hula dancers, ukulele, and lap guitar performers that became the talk of the town. Hawaii's top performers came and delighted the crowds who visited the expo, spreading the love of the ukulele far and wide.
Martin Guitar Company, reports Ian Whitcomb in his book "Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age," rolled out a ukulele in 1915, making a dozen. Two years later, they were selling 2,000. That same year, Hawaiian music and Tin Pan Alley songs with Hawaiian or ukulele themes gained popularity.
In "Ukulele Heroes," Whitcomb (one of the heroes himself) tells the tales of pioneers of the ukulele who helped make it popular - or played it despite periods of unpopularity. You can find music by these ukulele pioneers on YouTube and get a feel for where ukulele music has been.
Whitcomb's list of heroes, in alphabetical order:
• Frank Crumit
• Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike)
• George Formby Jr.
• Arthur Godfrey
• Wendell Hall
• The Hawaiians
• Johnny Marvin
• Tessie O'Shea
• Lyle Ritz
• Roy Smeck
• Tiny Tim
• Ian Whitcomb