Ukulele Stories

To most people, the ukulele is simply an easy-to-play social instrument. But to Shawn Yacavone, it’s much more important than that. To him, it’s a powerful cultural icon and a vital link to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Shawn spends a lot of time finding and acquiring historic and significant instruments, with a view to one day opening a ukulele museum and research library. “My contribution is in the area of repatriating – bringing the instruments back to Hawaii, restoring them, and then sharing the sound,” he explains. We had a fantastic chat and I highly recommend you stick around until the end for a very special surprise! Happy listening, Cameron Murray

Modestly dubbed the “King of the Ukulele”, Ralph Shaw is one of the originals – a pre-internet star who honed his craft in front of dubious, bemused audiences in the early 1990s. I became aware of Ralph in 2003 through The Complete Ukulele Course, the first instructional DVD I ever bought. We finally met in Australia in 2012 and we’ve been mates ever since. We had a brilliant chat about the old days, Ralph’s excellent newsletter and series of books, and how to deal with stage fright. We also talked about what prompted him to move back to England after many successful years in Canada. Enjoy! And please tell your friends about Ukulele Stories… Sign up for Ralph’s free Ukulele Entertainer newsletter! [https://ralphshaw.ca/newsletter/]

In 2019, Bernadette Plazola was unemployed, her marriage had collapsed, and she was on the verge of homelessness. Fast-forward six years and her life has been completely transformed through the kindness and generosity of what she calls her “community”. Happily remarried with a beautiful daughter, she’s now one of the world’s most popular online uke tutors, with more than 640,000 YouTube subscribers and 208,000 Instagram followers. I hope you enjoy our chat! Cameron (aka Kamuke) YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/@BernadetteTeachesMusic] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/plazi] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/bernadetteteachesmusic]

“My job is to put smiles on people’s hearts,” says Bryan Tolentino, one of Hawaii’s busiest and most sought-after musicians. In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about putting feeling into your ukulele playing, how to be an effective accompanist, and what being Hawaiian personally means to Bryan. We had a lot of fun chatting and I hope you enjoy listening! Cameron (aka Kamuke) bryantolentino.com [http://bryantolentino.com] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/agent_4string?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] ‘Ukulele Friends Hawai’i Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/399644350211725]

Matt Stead is a man of many talents. Not only is he a great uke teacher and player, he’s also the new director of the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain and various fringe events. And he’s a really nice guy too! Please have a listen and check out the links below… Mahalo! Cameron Matt Stead Ukulele [https://www.mattsteadukulele.com/] Ukulele Festival of Great Britain [https://www.ukulelefestivalofgreatbritain.com/]