Season 624 - My Hero/es

[DelGriff]

Season 624 - My Hero/es

Welcome one and all to the 624th Season Of The Ukulele!

We all have heroes in this life. People we respect, admire, maybe even aspire to emulate.
So, this week…

• I would like you to nominate your own favourite musical hero in your first post, and then please bring up to four of their songs to the Season. These could be songs they have either recorded or written or both. But please stick to the same musical hero for cover versions. It would be interesting (though not compulsory) if in your first post you could also say why you have chosen them.
• The songwriters amongst us can have a little more freedom with their originals - write a song/songs about any of your heroes from any walk of life, not necessarily the music world. And if you bring more than one original, you can write about more than one of your heroes.
• Whether you are doing cover versions or originals or both, please do not exceed the four song limit total unless I declare otherwise later in the week.
• And you are perfectly entitled to choose the same hero as another Seasonista, and even cover the same song/s if you wish.

All the usual rules apply - see Edwin’s marvellous FAQ here if you’re unaware of the details.
Originals are particularly welcomed.
Multitracking and collaborations are also very welcome.
A maximum of 4 songs for the Season please, unless I decide to increase this later in the week.
There will be a winner’s certificate for my favourite entry, and probably a few runners-up too. These will be sent by email.
Don’t post until it’s Sunday 28th January in Hawaii, and don’t post after it‘s Sunday 4th February in Hawaii.
Most of all: HAVE FUN!

PLAYLIST

 

[UkeFoote]

How is is possible that this has been up for 15 hours and nobody’s even replied?? Weird

Good theme, Del! I’ve got mine done… will post tomorrow after I get up.

 

[Yukio]

Great theme, Del! I have so many to choose from....

 

[DelGriff]

Thanks Brian @UkeFoote and Yukio @Yukio for your comments!

And do all be aware that your nominated musical hero could even be a fellow Seasonista!

And I’ll stress once again that the musical hero you choose for your first song is the one you must stick with for the rest of the week, unless you write an original song.

Thanks, lovely people!

 

[joo]

Thanks for hosting, Del!

i don't think i have any heroes but i love Michael Hurley's music a lot, so, for me, it is -
Michael Hurley AKA Snock!!!

he is a great songwriter but he didn't write this song. i have too many of his to choose from! i did this today impromptu because it was so fun to play and i felt happy inside singing it.
this song was written by Johnnie Lee Wills and Deacon Anderson.
i have never heard this song until i heard Michael Hurley's version from his album Ida Con Snock.

i discovered Hurley in 2022. it was his album cover that caught my eye first. Ida Con Snock was the album, and the track that came to my YouTube feed was I Stole The Right To Live, from that album. that title was too powerful that i had to check it out.
i fell in love with Hurley's music. So full of soul. His voice is so beautiful, his falsetto is haunting and, AND he is a mouth trumpet extraordinaire! then i found out that he is also a painter and cartoonist, and does his own album art.

that's how joojoo became a Snock fan.
i put his photos, comics and his album cover in my video....:--)

 

[ukudancer]

I stopped having musical heroes as I got older. I do have a lot musicians I admire (Dave Grohl being one). Either way, I'm away from my instruments for a week so I'll miss this season entirely.

I literally had to finish my video from last season as I was packing.

 

[DelGriff]

I stopped having musical heroes as I got older. I do have a lot musicians I admire (Dave Grohl being one). Either way, I'm away from my instruments for a week so I'll miss this season entirely.

I literally had to finish my video from last season as I was packing.

You'll be missed - have a good week!

 

[engravertom]

Thanks so much for hosting, Del!

There are many I could nominate, but I am choosing Gaspar Sanz.

“Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (April 4, 1640 (baptized) – 1710), better known as Gaspar Sanz, was a Spanish composer, guitarist, and priest born to a wealthy family in Calanda in the comarca of Bajo Aragón, Spain. He studied music, theology and philosophy at the University of Salamanca, where he was later appointed Professor of Music. He wrote three volumes of pedagogical works for the baroque guitar that form an important part of today's classical guitar repertory and have informed modern scholars in the techniques of baroque guitar playing.”

Discovering his music was a major factor, probably the most important one, in me deciding to begin playing the ukulele. I had consistently failed to persevere on the guitar, but when I discovered his music, and found wonderful arrangements of it being played on the ukulele, I was convinced!

The music of Gaspar Sanz, combined with the ukulele, has changed my life in a very significant and positive way! And one way it has changed is that I have found my way to the seasons to meet all of you wonderful people!

I have been tinkering with some arrangements of his music off and on for years, and I purchased Rob MacKillop’s collection of Sanz pieces for ukulele some time ago, but haven’t had any occasion to work them up and share them yet.

Thanks for the opportunity to remedy that shortcoming of mine!

 

[UkeFoote]

"Heroes", by David Bowie, fits the theme for an obvious Thorntonian reason, but also because one of my musical heroes, Brian Eno, produced the original recording, and another, Robert Fripp, played guitar on the track. I admire David Bowie greatly but his influence on me is not nearly as strong as the latter two mentioned, and I probably wouldn't describe him as one of my musical "heroes".

For concert ukulele with singing and whistling, and overdubs of Ashbory Ubass and secondary vocal.

Thanks for hosting, Del!

 

[Renaissance-Man]

I've covered Bob Dylan's songs for many years, so I guess I owe him this honor.

 

[xommen]

Here is a U2 song for this season called Love is Blindness.

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

I'm leaving the table I'm out of the game
I don't know the people In your picture frame
If I ever loved you, oh no, no It's a crying shame
If I ever loved you If I knew your name
You don't need a lawyer I'm not making a claim
You don't need to surrender I'm not taking aim
I don't need a lover, no, no, no The wretched beast is tame
I don't need a lover So blow out the flame
There's nobody missing There is no reward
Little by little We're cutting the cord
We're spending the treasure, oh no, no That love cannot afford
I know you can feel it The sweetness restored
I don't need a reason For what I became
I've got these excuses They're tired and lame
I don't need a pardon, no no, no no, no
There's no one left to blame
I'm leaving the table I'm out of the game
I'm leaving the table I'm out of the game

 

[ChaosLibrarian]

About 2 years ago I was at the Burbank Airport and I stopped in at the coffee bar on my way to the gate. I had my 2nd best uke in a case as a carry-on. The kids working there asked if I'd play something, and I sucked up my courage and said sure and busted out Creep (one of the few I'd memorized). And they were dancing and singing along and I drew a little crowd. So they gave me my iced tea and granola bar for free and asked for another. So I did Wicked Little Town, which they hadn't heard, which is no surprise, but this older fella in a tam o'shanter knew and sang along with. Then a lady dropped a $10 bill in my case. Then one of the kids wanted me to play Creep again so he could sing along. When the kids weren't looking, I slipped the $10 into the tip jar. That was the first time I'd ever played in public.

I had just finished reading Amanda Palmer's "The Art of Asking", and I probably wouldn't have impulse-busked in an airport if I hadn't just read her book. The version of Creep was also her arrangement. Amanda's got this compulsively public life and has so much courage about what she shares. I'm not like that at all, and I don't want to be. But she does inspire me to be braver, to make mistakes, and to care less about what others think. Also her songs are really, really good!

So here's me having fun with and messing up Ukulele Anthem.

 

[xommen]

Here is another U2 song, this is one I have not done before in any season, this is called Out of Control:

 

[ukudancer]

You'll be missed - have a good week!

Thanks. I think I would have picked Prince as my artist to study for the week, but vacation calls!

 

[Threebird]

I can't really think of any musicians I would categorize as heroes, but there are so, so many that I respect and admire. A small part of that list would include folks like Jeff Tweedy, Lhasa da Sala, Manu Chao, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, Brandi Carlile, Megan Nash, and on...

There are also many who were on the list at one time, but people change or I learn more than I want to know about them. I try to just focus on the music, but sometimes people make it hard to look past other parts of their lives, and hard to listen to their music without being distracted by that. I guess that's why I am reluctant to use the word hero when there are so many other things to consider.

Today, since I have to pick someone, I'm going with Jinkx Monsoon. Jinkx is a multi-talented performer who I adore for many reasons - music, comedy, politics, support and advocacy for marginalised communities, and overcoming struggles and challenges of their own. A couple notable musical and performance accomplishments include being the only 2 time winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, and being the first drag queen to perform in a major Broadway musical (Chicago). Did I mention they also play ukulele! And will be appearing in Doctor Who Series 14!

Jinkx Monsoon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here is today's rendition (well, there were many attempts but this is the most okayest) of This Town, my favourite song by Jinkx Monsoon.

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

Getting old slows you down.

 

[pabrizzer]

Thanks for hosting, Del!

i don't think i have any heroes .....................

I stopped having musical heroes as I got older ................

I can't really think of any musicians I would categorize as heroes .............

no heroes for me either Del
but your theme gives me a chance to give a shout out to my dearly departed dad who i certainly hold in very high regard

 

[DelGriff]

We all have heroes in this life.

It‘s becoming apparent that either this isn’t the case for all of us, or that our interpretations of the word ‘hero’ differ somewhat. So, just for this week, maybe we can consider it to mean people that we respect and admire more than most others? Hope that helps!

 

[wee_ginga_yin]

It‘s becoming apparent that either this isn’t the case for all of us, or that our interpretations of the word ‘hero’ differ somewhat. So, just for this week, maybe we can consider it to mean people that we respect and admire more than most others? Hope that helps!

Tell me your heroes and I will tell you who you are.