Seasons of the Ukulele

A weekly song challenge for ukulele players - all welcome. Find out more here

Season 678 - Blue is the Colour

CanadaJim

Mr. Blue - DeWayne Blackwell 1959
Thanks for the idea Del. Here's a song with the same title.
I left out the "Wa-oo-wa-oo" that appeared in the Fleetwoods' version.

And another Mr. Blue appeared while I was recroding this one.

UkeCan1

Here's a last-minute twofer. Elvis, "A Mess of Blues".

"I just got your letter, baby"

"Every day is just blue Monday"

With a blue evening sky behind me.

Mezcalero

Great theme Dr. Mitch, and great idea to expand beyond the color blue and include the Blues genre! I look forward to hearing some uke-centric blues this week ~

FYI ~ I couldn't find the playlist? Maybe it's just not up yet?

dr_mitch

Thanks all for enthusiastically embracing the theme and a great first day or so of music. I’ve things to catch up on (why does the week have to suddenly turn busy after agreeing to host?) but first things first - here’s the Playlist.

bobjking

Hey, Dr. Mitch!

Thanks for stepping up! Here's the first song I thought of. A Blondie classic from 1979 which boasts one of the greatest intros ever.

The uke doesn't really do it justice but it is what it is!

CeeJay

Robert Johnson

Famously covered by Muddy Waters.

This is more Sludgey What the ...?

Concert uke and a looooooooooong intro. Sorry/not sorry.

AlanDP

A few months ago I came across this sheet music by chance while looking for something else. There's no way I could sound like Fats Domino, so I didn't try. From 1940. With the thrift store uke which is tuned to Eb. A lot of these old uke arrangements have the instructions to tune your uke to Bb-Eb-G-C so I have this uke tuned this way permanently for these occasions.

chaoslibrarian

Hi gang!
I'm finally crawling out from an extended holiday stress pile. I recorded this for a work talent show last weekend - first recording I've done since December - and I thought I'd drop in and see you guys. Turns out it fits the theme, even though I think I did this for one of my first 3 Season submissions. I didn't think you'd mind.

I missed you!

YorkSteve

A hit for The Delmore Brothers in 1949. Also recorded by the Notting Hillbillies and loads of others.

joo

there are some peculiar things that are blue.

The blue moon pie is one. Incredible number of reviews of it on YT.

And then there is the blue tongue lizard of Australia. I saw one in the middle of the road the other day. Except he didn't wanna show me his tongue that day, but he did let me go really close to him.

And the blue-footed booby? What a fascinating creature.

Here is another of my throwaway kind of song.

a work in progress really. I made up the melody as i recorded the words with a simple chord progression.

For the video i used a simple animation i made.

Words:

Why is the sea blue?

Why is the sky blue?

The blue tongue lizard gazes at him as his blue eyes gaze at her.

The lampshade is the colour,

Her apron is the colour,

Of the blue-footed booby's feet.

She baked blue moon pies in her blueberry kitchen.

When Bluebeard turns 80 years old will his blue beard turn white?

The moon is full and blue tonight and i need new spectacles.

Why is the sea blue?

Why is the sky blue?

Are you sure what you see is what it is?

His blue eyes looking at her.

Bystander

CanadaJim

BYE BYE BLUES - Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, & Chauncey Gray - 1925

TCK

One the Be Good Tanya’s taught me.

TCK

And one Simon and Garfunkel taught me…

TCK

And finally, one Merle Haggard taught me. That might be it for the night. Might not.

joo

while waiting in the car I spied the sky, my tee, and this uke.

They all wanna join in the B party.

TCK

[TCKrule] OK- everyone has a favorite pedal steel guitar player right? Who ya got?

If you said my dad, Cindy Cashdollar or Jeremy Wakefield, wrong answer, but we are good. Thing is Jay Dee Maness is without a doubt the best player t ever play that thing. The Byrds Sweethearts of the Rodeo is such an important American record, and that opening lick on “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” is as good as it gets. Took me years to find that record for dad…the next day it was on Spotify.

Anyway, Jay Dee liked to play with his buddy Gram back in the late sixties and early seventies…which leads me to believe the man TORE IT UP. Glad he is still around because meeting him introduced me to my own mortality- I was immediately reduced to a blubbering mass of cells with no rhyme or reason.

“Son, can I pour you a Scotch?”

“Yes sir”- note…the only time I have ever deferred to anyone…but it was Jay Dee, and my musical heroes are often odd.

Anyway- let me get this back on track. Before Jay Dee played on Sweethearts of the Rodeo, he picked up a few songs with Gram Parsons earlier project, the International Submarine Band. Before Gram (also a hero of mine despite the early ending) and Emmylou, before the Flying Burrito Brothers. Before the Byrds, and he rips on this tracks original! Go check it out if so inclined, the pedal steel is amazing. His playing embodies the best part of my childhood.

Alas, dad does not play anymore. His hearing that once gave him perfect pitch just ain’t there anymore and I believe he is selling instruments, but I have not asked. Sad really…I hope I play loud as hell when I get too old to hear what I am playing. Got some bad news on one of our dogs as well this week- Max is likely not going to make it to 8 years old as his kidneys seem to have run themselves out…so here we are. With me playing a song that is embedded in my head, always has been, and makes me smile. Only 92 more to go. [/TCKrule]

elmann

Vicky Leandros, her song for Luxembourg at ESC 1967 (that time "Grand Prix de la chanson")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27amour_est_bleu

CeeJay

A Blues standard believed to have come from and is usually credited *to Charles "Chas" Segar and William "Big Bill" Broonzy. Though it developed quite seperately as each put a different interpertation on it. Covered by many ,many artists played fast,played slow ,sometimes in between. but for me what I love about it is it breaks the 1,4 ,5 pattern as it plays 1, 5, 4 which gives a different feel to the song.

* There are other opinions about this, as there should be in all blues legends .

dr_mitch

Okay gang! We’re around the halfway point, and hosting is an absolute pleasure! The playlist should be up to date. Please let me know if anything is missing.

I’m not sure it’s the done thing to single out people for attention, but I’ve really enjoyed @LimousinLil showing off her hats, @joo with her composition and animation (I’m counting the noticeboard as well here), the three versions of Mr. Blue, blue-tinged videos, seeing @chaoslibrarian back, hearing some blues standards from @CeeJay and @TCK with 7 songs so far and threatening the 99 song limit.

« Previous Page Next Page »