Ukulele Magazine Editor’s Note: Fall 2026

I was lucky enough to see Prince perform at a small nightclub in San Francisco in the mid-2010s. I was close enough to see, throughout the two-and-a-half-hour set, that miraculously, he did not perspire, despite singing, dancing, directing the musicians, and mixing the band’s monitors onstage. Though he primarily played guitar, he was jumping around between several instruments all night. It was beautiful, soulful, rocking, tender, exciting, and, above all, funky.

I thought about this after my recent interview with Vince Esquire, whose new album Funkulele has influences from the Purple One and beyond. He said that he studied Prince, who often only played three strings of his guitar in rhythm parts, to help his arranging and songwriting on his own album, which includes uke on every track and very little guitar work. I couldn’t help wonder what it would have been like had Prince found the ukulele to his liking—the freedom of mobility that a smaller instrument provides; the “limitations” that so often lead to unforeseen creativity. Unfortunately, we will never know.

I can only hope that this album from Esquire leads to more like it, not just from him but from other musicians who have the vision to channel funk onto the uke (or uke into the funk). It seems like a real opportunity to make history, a turning point that further entrenches ukulele into the DNA of popular music beyond it’s own niche.

Speaking of history, this issue’s packed full of it. It’s well known that the Pan-Pacific International Expo of 1915 was the moment the ukulele really caught on on the mainland, but Sandor Nagyszalanczy takes an in-depth look at the years and events that preceded it and set the scene for the four string’s big flight. And historian Jim Tranquada describes how the ukulele’s surging popularity in the years that followed helped the music publishing industry survive during the early days of radio, when folks could simply turn on a magic box to hear music any time they wanted rather than have to play it themselves or cajole someone who could into entertaining them.

You may not have heard of Jennie Durkee, but if you’re ever used a felt pick you have her to thank. Along with creating the perfect plectrum for ukulele, the virtuoso advocated for serious study of the instrument and wrote and performed arrangements that would help cement it as more than just a toy or fun souvenir. We present her fascinating story on page 28, as well as an arrangement of a traditional tune from her 1918 book for you to learn (or cajole someone you know into playing it for you).

Flash-forward to the 1990s, when the uke was just beginning to regain popularity after a long period of dormancy in the public eye. A luthier in the UK named Pete Howlett decided to learn how to make ukuleles, and when the next big popularity boom hit in the late 2000s he was ready. And so came many beautiful handmade instruments and innovative designs, including the Revelator, which is now produced by uke giant Kala. It was the encroaching symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that led him to design the Revelator out of necessity, and it may end up writing a new page in the history of how ukes are made. In addition to this, many luthiers point to him as a source of inspiration and guidance thanks to his free sharing of knowledge of the craft, and his impact is undoubtedly felt in many handmade instruments beyond those with a Howlett headstock.

The thing about history is that we don’t know when it’s being written in the moment. Only time will tell if innovative instruments like the Revelator or the Ravenwood Ukey C (see review on page 48) will be a footnote or a whole chapter in the Book of Ukulele, or if albums like Funkulele, or Jeff Larson’s Everyday Places, or Tyrone and Lesley’s Keepers and Finders, (see reviews on pages 46 and 47) will become or maybe inspire the next pivotal point in ukulele music.

While there will only be one Prince, one Vince Esquire, one Pete Howlett, and one Jennie Durkee, there will never cease to be innovators to shine their own light on a new path. I want to know who your ukulele innovators are, and what makes their impact special to you. Send me your story!

—Nick Grizzle, Editor

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