This led to the purchase of a ukulele and some instruction books. His interest in the ukulele came via the reissue of the recordings of Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards in the mid-’70s. In college, the eight-string resonance of the mandolin captured his attention. Since the age of eight, Joel Eckhaus has played stringed instruments. That found ukulele led to a fascination with anything Hawaiian, which included records found at yard sales. She was first introduced to the ukulele when “somebody had been to Hawaii, and when they came back they were all relaxed and tan and showing off their little uke.” Enter divine providence or just dumb luck: “Not too long after that, on my way to school, I found a ukulele sticking out of a garbage can.” Although the ukulele she found was a beat-up wall-hanger, she nurtured the instrument into playing condition. Marcy Marxer grew up in Michigan and began learning to play the guitar at age five.
This is the story of how three young people developed a symbiotic relationship with “ The Wizard of the Strings.” So, what happens when one of the best string players in the world has nowhere to play? When gone are the opulent theaters of the vaudeville circuit and the golden age of jazz? You teach others what you know. Roy Smeck was so good he gave lessons to the guy that gave lessons to everybody else-Mel Bay, the founder of one of the world’s largest publishers of music instruction books. He made over 500 recordings and was the first to use split-screen editing and multiple soundtracks to create a one-man band, in the film That Goes Double. Roosevelt’s presidential inaugural ball in 1933 and King George VI’s coronation review in 1937. On the vaudeville circuit, he palled around with the Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello. He went from stage to screen, radio, and television he was everywhere. Smeck’s long career encompassed every major emerging media of the 20th century. Although His Pastimes might be considered the first “talkie,” Smeck doesn’t say a word throughout the entire performance. The system synchronized a film projector with a record player. It was the first film with sound recordings made using the Vitaphone Sound-On-Disc system.
In 1926, they hired Smeck to perform on ukulele, harmonica, banjo, and lap steel guitar in a short film called His Pastimes. That bit caught the attention of the filmmaking Warner brothers. His best trick was playing the “12th Street Rag” on harmonica and ukulele simultaneously. In those days, Smeck was considered a “novelty act.” Because he didn’t sing, he had to develop gimmicks to wow audiences.
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