Awesome Ukulele

Recorded audio and radio programs from the early 20th century have a distinctive sound. Musician Sam Stafford got his hands on a vintage 1920s carbon microphone and shows how much of that sound was due to limitations in the era’s audio technology. When Sam gets out his banjolele and starts singing, it’s like he stepped into a time machine.

As part of his “Should I/Can I Cover It?” series, musician Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. performs a track that clearly wasn’t designed to be played on a tiny 4-string ukulele. But the old-fashioned musician gave it the old college try regardless. If Thomas looks familiar, it’s because he has No More F**ks to Give.

The Ramones most definitely were not old-fashioned. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get an old-fashioned version of one of their songs. Musician Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. and his voluminous beard are here to entertain us with a splendid ukulele cover of 1977 track Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.

Musician Luca Stricagnoli proves you don’t need a big or fancy instrument to produce an amazing sound, just raw talent. His cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers 1999 track Scar Tissue has incredible depth, detail, and emotional impact performed on his ukulele-guitar hybrid.

We’ve been following musician Feng E since he was 10 years old. Since then, he’s continued to perfect and evolve his string instrument skills. You’ll want to crank up the volume for his sublime ukulele arrangement of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2002 hit track Can’t Stop, performed with perfect pacing and precision.

The members of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain reminisce about the past as they look to a future in which they can once again travel the world. Backing their slideshow video is their warm and cheery cover version of the theme song from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Woo-hoo! Back in 2018, the talented musicians of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain performed a fun cover version of the short-but-sweet Blur track Song 2, which lends itself surprisingly well to the jangly sounds of the uke. Though we still like Mario’s vocals best.

Released back in 2011, the Foo Fighters’ album Wasting Light might not have been their biggest commercial success, but it was beloved by fans and critics alike. UK-based musician EatMyUke put together a great medley of tracks from the album, performed entirely on the ukulele.

Despite being under lockdown, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been keeping us entertained with a steady series of work from home performances, this time offering up a playful and jaunty cover of The Cure’s 1983 track The Love Cats, with smooth vocals by Laura Currie, who also served as the video’s editor.

The musicians of George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain do their part to bring a little cheer into our homes during the lockdown with a special quarantine edition of Gnarls Barkley’s hit Crazy. The ukuleles add a richly-layered sound to the track, while the lead vocals are a pleasant surprise.

During an appearance at Paste Magazine’s NYC studio, the talented Jake Shimabukuro performed a soulful rendition of Pink Floyd’s classic, eking crazy amounts of emotion out of his little ukulele. While there he also played Bohemian Rhapsody, his original When The Masks Come Down, and Hawaiian folk song Wai’ alae.

Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro and his fellow musicians turn in an outstanding performance of The Beatles classic Eleanor Rigby, with the uke complemented beautifully by Jerry Douglas‘ artistry on the lap steel guitar. From the album The Greatest Day.

Black Holes and Revelations is one of our favorite Muse albums. EatMyUke is a fan too, and put together this great medley from the album, including Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, and Knights of Cydonia, which sounds particularly great on the ukulele.

The last time we checked in with the talented young Feng E, he was entertaining audiences in the park. Now he’s wowing us from the back seat of a car, and asking Annie if she’s okay with a fantastic ukulele cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal.

Feng E may only be 10 years old, this kid sure can play ukulele. Watch him jam out amazing covers of Classical Gas, Blackbird, and Beat It, then check out more of his performances on both uke and guitar on his YouTube channel.

Jimi Hendrix was a master of the electric guitar. But we could never imagine one of his fiery hot tracks played on something so jangly as a ukulele. Well color us impressed. Sit back, crank up the speakers, and enjoy this fantastic uke cover of Voodoo Child, played by James Hill.