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Sit Right Down 2:080:00/2:08
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Baby Tonight 3:500:00/3:50
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0:00/2:53
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Til There Was You 2:150:00/2:15
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Kansas City 3:310:00/3:31
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0:00/2:30
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0:00/3:09
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Wayfaring Stranger 3:360:00/3:36
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Oh Susanna 3:180:00/3:18
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Little Grass Shack 2:200:00/2:20
Latest Track
Welcome to my music. Thanks for stopping by. Have a listen and enjoy the music.
Just 4 Fun
Song Notes
1. Sit Right Down (and Write Myself a Letter)
Written in 1935 by Fred E. Ahlert and Joe Young, this song has become a standard of the Great American Songbook. It was popularized by Fats Waller, who recorded it in 1935 at the height of his fame.
Fats Waller has been a big influence on me. I have been listening to and singing his songs since I was a child, and I always have fun playing the kazoo in a scat style.
This seemed like a natural song to include on Just 4 Fun—a little old-fashioned, a little playful, and a lot of fun to sing.
2. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
This is a 1967 song by Bob Dylan, first released on John Wesley Harding.
Bob Dylan was a big influence on me, and this song just seemed to fit the ukulele. Since the song is on the John Wesley Harding album, I thought it would be fun to add a little yodel.
3. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
This song was composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1935. Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1951.
Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller are the pantheon of my musical heroes. In this recording I do a little scat, with some phrases taken from Louis' trumpet solo.
4. 'Til There Was You
This song is from the 1957 musical The Music Man, written by Meredith Willson. Shirley Jones sang it in the 1962 movie version, and the Beatles recorded it on their second album, With the Beatles, in 1963.
For my recording, I used a Bolero-style percussion arrangement.
5. Kansas City
Written in 1952, Kansas City was one of the first credited collaborations by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959.
It is often listed as an “oldie,” but it is the blues, no doubt. This song seems to have been in my repertoire forever, but I had always played it with a full band.
For Just 4 Fun, I reduced it to my little trio of ukulele, bass, and drums.
6. Raindrops Are Falling
This song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The B. J. Thomas recording reached No. 1 on the charts and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The B. J. Thomas recording starts with a ukulele strumming the chords, and to me that makes it an iconic ukulele song. It also has such a positive message that I couldn't resist including it.
7. Tonight You Belong to Me
Written in 1926 by lyricist Billy Rose and composer Lee David, the song was first recorded by Irving Kaufman. Gene Austin recorded it in 1927 and made it a major hit. The version most of us remember is the one recorded by Patience and Prudence in 1964.
But it was the version sung by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters in the 1979 movie The Jerk that really caught my attention because of the great ukulele part played by Lyle Ritz. Ritz was an in-demand Los Angeles studio musician and a member of the Wrecking Crew.
I made it my goal to learn his arrangement as best I could.
I actually recorded this song during a break in the sessions for my album Songs of Peace. Somebody had the great idea of inviting Dale Mills to play clarinet, and to me that makes this one of the best versions ever of this song.
8. Wayfaring Stranger
Wayfaring Stranger is a traditional spiritual song dating from before the Civil War. It was often sung over dying soldiers during that conflict and was later resurrected by Burl Ives for his album Wayfaring Stranger.
I sat with this song for quite a while before coming up with my arrangement. It always affects me deeply when I sing it.
9. Oh Susanna
Oh Susanna is a folk song by Stephen Foster, first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written.
The mother of one of my young ukulele students gave birth to her third daughter, Susanna. Three days later I met Susanna, who became a regular at our lessons.
I decided to come up with a unique arrangement for the song, and James Taylor led me to the light.
10. Little Grass Shack
Written by Tommy Harrison, Bill Cogswell, and Johnny Noble in Hawaii in 1933, Little Grass Shack is written in the Hawaiian musical style known as hapa haole.
This is one of my favorite Hawaiian songs. I really like the way this recording came out. It leaves an uplifting feeling at the end of the album.