The Ukulele Dude acquired his nickname from a disgruntled individual on Wikipedia.
Having discovered a lack of pages for such ukulele notables as James Hill, Lyle Ritz, May Singh Breen and Jim Beloff on Wikipedia, I set off to create pages for them and other ukulele players. In addition to creating half a dozen of these articles, as well as editing many others, I work to vet proposed articles submitted to Wikipedia by other people. One individual had submitted a proposed article on a living artist. It is always difficult to get an article on a living person accepted because they require reference material in order to establish their notability for inclusion. This person complained on one of the Wikipedia forums about ‘the ukulele dude that refused my article.’ I took it to heart and have used it since!
My love of the ukulele, and the almost inevitable UAS (Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome), can be traced to discovering a Julia Nunes Video on YouTube. From there I was led to the videos of Jake Shimabukuro, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Bushman Ukulele Contest, and numerous others. I am a charter member of the Motor City Ukes, established after the first Mighty Uke Day in 2009.
I am a graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Detroit School of Law. A veteran of the US Navy, I served on active duty for over 6 years in the early 1980’s. Since then I have been working in various aspects of information technology in support of the automotive industry. A licensed attorney, I worked as a contract manager for various companies and IT service providers for 15 years. I currently am a Professor of Contract Management for the Defense Acquisition University and reside with Cathy, my wife, and a cat in the Detroit area. I have been learning and teaching Shidokan Shorin Ryu Okinawan Karate-do for over 18 years.
My Ukulele Related Reviews
I’ve accumulated so many books, CDs, instruments and accessories associated with the ukulele that I decided to share them with the world! The reviews are my opinions and I try to be as objective as possible while providing information to assist you, the reader, in making purchasing decisions. I have purchased, or was gifted by friends and family, all of these items. For the few items where that is not the case, I will specifically tell you in the review (probably the top box) that it was provided as a review item. I watch all videos and listen to all CDs at least twice before I write my review.
If you have an item you would like me to review, feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to provide a mailing address. Providing the item does not mean you’ll get a great review, but it will be an honest one! And I’ll promise to get the review out within a month of receipt!
Note that in most cases the photograph and/or the title in the review header box will link to a web site where you can purchase the item being reviewed. In some cases these are affiliate links that will get me a small amount of revenue without changing the price you pay for the item. That support helps me maintain this site and blog and your help is appreciated!
About this Web Site
This site was created and is maintained by Mark W. Swarthout, aka, The Ukulele Dude. Pictures that are exhibited on this web site are mine unless otherwise credited. If you believe any material on this site is copyrighted and goes beyond the standards of reasonable use, please contact me so that they can be removed. All other rights reserved. Originally created using Dream Weaver, I converted the site to WordPress in 2016.
For More on The Ukulele Dude
If your really want to know more about me, visit my personal history pages on The Swarthout Family web site.