Jim Beloff - UKEtopia!: Adventures in the Ukulele World

To Liz, my partner in all things.

An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of

The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200

Lanham, MD 20706

www.rowman.com

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2021 by James D. Beloff

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

Permissions to be found on pages 21516, which continue as an extension of this copyright page. Every reasonable effort has been made to contact copyright holders and secure permissions. Omissions can be remedied in future editions.

Cover Photo by Elizabeth Maihock Beloff

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beloff, Jim, 1955- author. I Schiff, Ronny S. editor.

Title: Uketopia! : adventures in the ukulele world / Jim Beloff ; edited by Ronny S. Schiff.

Description: Guilford, Connecticut : Backbeat, 2021. I Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021020805 (print) I LCCN 2021020806 (ebook) I ISBN 9781493060993 (cloth) I ISBN 9781493061006 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: UkuleleAnecdotes.

Classification: LCC ML1015.U5 B46 2021 (print) I LCC ML1015.U5 (ebook) I DDC 787.8/919 dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021020805

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021020806

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992

Jim Beloff is the author of The UkuleleA Visual History (Backbeat Books) and author, arranger, and publisher of the Jumpin Jims series of ukulele songbooks with over one million copies in print. This series is available worldwide and includes The Daily Ukulele and The Daily Ukulele: Leap Year Edition, two of the biggest and best-selling ukulele songbooks ever published. All Jumpin Jims songbooks are distributed by Hal Leonard LLC.

Jim produced Legends of Ukulele, a CD compilation for Rhino Records, and has made three how-to-play DVDs for Homespun. He is also an active songwriter and has released several CDs. His two-CD set, Dreams I Left in Lockets, features thirty-three songs he wrote or cowrote with uke legends, Herb Ohta-san Ohta and Lyle Ritz. His album, The Wind and Sun, was released in August 2020.

In 1999, Jim composed and premiered Uke Cant Be Serious, a concerto for solo ukulele and symphony orchestra. Since then, the piece has been performed with both high school and professional orchestras, including the Michigan Philharmonic in 2016. He has also performed it many times with a string quartet. His second concerto for ukulele and orchestra, The Dove Tale, premiered in 2017 with the Wallingford (Connecticut) Symphony Orchestra.

Jim and his wife, Liz Maihock Beloff, own Flea Market Music, Inc., a company dedicated to the ukulele. They perform together playing their familys Fluke, Flea, and Firefly ukuleles. They have toured Japan, Australia, and Canada and believe in their companys motto, Uke Can Change the World.

Visit Jim online at www.fleamarketmusic.com and facebook.com/jimbeloffmusic.

Praise for UKEtopia!

Jim Beloff is largely responsible for the ukes popularity today. Jim delights in everything ukuleleits history, its design, its capabilities, and its personality. And hes written some wonderful songs on the uke. If a ukulele were to come to life, it would be a lot like Jima great big happy four-stringed guy with a lovely voice, a quick wit, and an infectious personality.

William H. Macy, Hollywood, California

I know Jim and Liz Beloff to be quiet, moderate, and humble people... but, reading UKEtopia! and learning about their daring-do on behalf of a four-stringed, people-connector called the ukulele turned out to be a mind-boggling adventure! Their exciting chronicle begins modestly enough with Jims initial purchase of a uke at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in California. But as the pages turn, you will be swept up by the two Beloffs in a whirlwind of purposerubbing elbows with movie stars and pop iconsbringing the little instrument to the attention of the world. Believe me, so captivating, uke cant put it down.

Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul & Mary

Jim, thank you for sharing the fascinating journey you and Liz have been on, sharing the joy of the dancing flea. Your connection to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market Martin ukulele you found years ago reminds me of my great grandfathers curiosity about this special instrument. His entrepreneurial spirit got us into the ukulele business in 1916. Your book will inspire more crazy uke players and collectors. That is significant, because the ukulele is often a players first introduction to fretted instruments. And what a fun introduction it is.

C.F. Martin IV, C.F. Martin & Co.

UKEtopia! chronicles the whimsy and adventure of the Beloffs journey making a creative life in music through the most approachable of instrumentsthe diminutive ukulele. Through their affinity for this humble and ineffably charming instrument, theyve shared a message that a life with self-made music is a joy to all.

Andy Powers, Taylor Guitars Chief Instrument Designer

I thought UKEtopia! was going to be about how Liz and Jim Beloff discovered the ukulele. Within a few pages, however, it became clear that it was more than that. UKEtopia! is the origin story of the ukuleles Third Wave. What I love about UKEtopia!beyond the colorful characters, fun anecdotes, and zany palindromesis that music always plays the leading role. This could have been a book about business, networking, licensing, and royalties. But instead, its a book about music. Its the story of how Liz and Jim Beloffs love of song changed the world for the better.

James Hill, Renowned ukulele performer and teacher

What a blast! More than just a fascinating and fun autobiography of one of modern ukuleles most important figures, Jim Beloffs UKEtopia! offers a definitive look at the evolution of the instruments current Third Wave, now global in scope and still growing. No one has brought more attention and respectability to the ukulele. This book details Jims amazing journey, and also feels like an affectionate love letter to the friendly four-string.

Blair Jackson, Editor, Ukulele magazine

Jim Beloff has been mainland Americas foremost proponent of all things ukulele since the 1990s and continues to hold that position with his work as a published author, composer, recording artist, record producer, book publisher, and performing artist. With UKEtopia!, he tells (almost) all about the origins of his ukulele enterprises and shares some revealing behind the scenes tales as well! Count UKEtopia! as an important addition to the ukulele bookshelf.

John Berger, Editor, Hawaiian Music and Musicians