Ukulele Performance..Active Ageing Carnival June 2009

Just when we were about to go on stage...I was approached by Radio Station Gold 90.5 Fm staff to do a "LIVE" on the spot interview. This was all too sudden and with the cue given to proceed with our performance, I promised the good people of the Radio station that I will give them time after our gig was over.
After our introductory medley of local songs which got many singing and clapping along, we did a couple of catchy old time favourites.
You may be wondering what are some of these.
Know the 1957 song "Marianne" sung by Terry Gilkyson and The Easy Riders?"
The lyrics....
" All night, all day Marianne
Down by the seaside sifting sand
Even little children love Marianne
Down by the seaside sifting sand.

Marianne, oh Marianne
Oh won't you marry me
We can have a bamboo hut
And brandy in the tea
Leave your fat old mama home,
She never will say yes
If mama don't know now,
She can guess, my, my, yes! " etc....



Songs like Marianne and others from the 50's and 60's were songs that most of our seniors grew up with. They may not recall every verse but they sure know the tune and the melody...and as they sing along, some of the "lost" lyrics come flooding back.
That's the way it is.
If you sing these songs more often the lyrics will be on your lips easily.
However, some songs have such simple easy to remember lyrics that even after 40, 50 years they come back again naturally.
One such song is clear to me. Someone requested for " Oh Carol ". As soon as we began strumming the melody...the audience automatically went into " Oo...oooh...ooo...ooo..ooo ...Oh carol, I am but a fool, darling I love you, though you treat me cruel....". They all knew the words of the song!

Can anyone name more such songs?

Often most of us will remember the entire chorus of a song but may forget one or two of the verses.

A good example is the song,

" Beautiful Sunday ".

An entire crowd will go...

" Hi, hi, hi, beautiful Sunday.

This is my, my, my, beautiful day

When you say, say, say, say that

you love me,

Oh, my, my, my it's a beautiful day."

Just knowing the chorus and joining in will spice up things tremendously.

So for such public preformance as ours was, where the venue and location was bound to be noisy with all sorts of dynamic movement and activities... care must be given to the kind and type of songs to be selected.

My selection of songs and type of music will be quite different if the performance is meant for an indoor room or auditorium with no other distractions or competing sounds.

In the past, I have added some percussion music to go with the main rhythm of the ukelele or guitar. Richard and I are still on the look out for anyone keen and able to join us in this.

Anyone who has a sense of rhythm and can handle some of the hand-held percussion instruments will be ideal.

Bongo drums, castinets, maraccas, etc..