Stories

“There was something quietly special about it, too: the ukulele, born of the Madeiran braguinha, sharing the stage once more with the very instruments it descends from.”

A serious musician who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and sets the bar high while keeping the instrument accessible.

As the world hurtled through archaeological discoveries, global artistic exchange, aviation milestones, Hollywood spectacles, and romanticized cultural fantasies, ukulele makers translated these influences into some of the most imaginative and visually striking instruments ever produced.

International ukulele festivals are spectacular, wacky, and mesmerizing—and the value of a ukefest experience is immeasurable.

From his garage workshop in eastern Ontario, Canada, Vincent crafts ukes that look like something you’d find under the sea...

The Minneapolis, Minnesota–based folk rock duo is groove-heavy, with delicious vocal harmonies backed mostly by acoustic guitar, fiddle, upright bass, drums, and ukulele.

Like many inventions of its era, the auto-chord uke reflects a moment when inventors were captivated by the idea of democratizing music through mechanical shortcuts.

The luthier talks family business, bending wood on the old stovepipe that came from a junkyard 50 years ago, and the uke that got away...

This edition of Uke Tales features your responses to our queries about favorite ukes and jazz music, plus some heartwarming personal stories. Thanks for writing in!