Roy Sakuma credits the ukulele, a song and inspirational mentors with helping him turn his young life around after being kicked out of high school. In 1964, when he heard a hit song, “Sushi”, by master ukulele virtuoso Herb “Ohta-San” Ohta, he sought him out and became an avid student. Roy wore out the frets of his ukulele, practicing eight to 10 hours a day. At the age of 16 he set out to become the best ukulele player in the world.

Dan Sawyer “Soybean” is a composer and musician. He has been working in the animation field since 1991 when he created the music for Nickelodeon’s Doug. Since that time he has written the music for many TV and film projects including 101 Dalmations, LA Lakers, Disney’s Stanley and Survivor.

One of the oldest ukulele websites, the Lava Tube has been around since 1996, Dan Scanlan, aka Cool Hand Uke, has been performing on ukulele since 1961. Lore, playing tips, uke tunes, photos.

“Derick Sebastian is definitely someone to watch, his commitment to his craft is above reproach. I am expecting and looking forward to his next project, and I am expecting continuous and progressive works from Derick in future years. Knowing this fine young man personally, I can also say that Derick is someone who shows great respect and humility, freely giving of his time to all he meets. Hawaiians call this kind of humility "ha‘a ha‘a".”

An exhilarating and perfectly balanced performance of music and comedy featuring tight harmonies, witty ad-libs and virtuoso musicianship. It’s inspiring, it’s fun and guaranteed to raise a smile.

As an Author and Publisher I created Curt Sheller Publications in 1998 as a small publishing company catering to the needs of musicians, guitar players and ukulele players worldwide. Curt Sheller Publications provides for the resources and information to develop as a musician. Curt Sheller has over 40 years of playing experience, 20 plus years of teaching experience and publishing for over 10 years. As a Musician I have over 40 years playing experience in a variety of styles and s settings, most notably jazz. As a Private Music Teacher and *Educator Curt maintains a teaching schedule averaging between 40 and 60 private students a week.

Bruce Shimabukuro views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential. His ever expanding repertoire includes jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco and rock. Countless hours of practicing and search for his own style, Bruce finally decides to produce his own first album in 2005.

Jake Shimabukuro was born on November 3, 1976, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Having learned to play the ukulele from the young age of four, Shimabukuro marked his professional debut in 1998 after becoming a member of the group, Pure Heart, a few years after graduating from high school. Shimabukuro’s appearance dramatically altered traditional perceptions of ukulele music. Playing with incredible technique and great feeling, he covers all types of music from Classical music to Jazz, Rock, Blues, Funk and of course, improvisation that comes naturally to the ukulele, Shimabukuro continues to be a source of inspiration to the Hawaiian music scene.

Shorty Long is a four piece string band with roots in the Novelty Jazz styles of the 20th century. Shorty Long is from Austin, Texas.

Roy Smeck (born Leroy Smeck, 6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar,steel guitar, and especially the ukulele earned him the nickname “Wizard of the Strings.” Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Smeck started on the vaudeville circuit. His style was influenced by Eddie Lang, Ikey Robinson, banjoist Harry Reser, Johnny Marvin and steel guitarist Sol Hoopii. Smeck could not sing well, so he developed novelty dances and trick playing to supplement his act.

Ukuleles don’t always get their fair measure of respect. But that doesn’t stop the New York-based band Songs from a Random House from using two ukuleles to create an unconventional pop-music sound.

Fred Sokolow is best known as the author of a library of instructional books and DVDs for guitar, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, lap steel and ukulele. There are currently over a hundred and twenty of his books or DVDs in print, sold all over the world. Fred has long been a well-known West Coast multi-string performer and recording artist, particularly on the acoustic music scene. The diverse musical genres covered in his books and DVDs, along with several bluegrass, jazz and rock CDs he has released, demonstrate his mastery of many musical styles. Whether he's playing Delta bottleneck blues, bluegrass or old-time banjo, Hawaiian lap steel, 30s swing guitar or screaming rock solos, he does it with authenticity and passion.

With ukuleles in hand and a penchant for telling stories about their life encounters with cancer, Kate and Noel join forces to present motivational and entertaining keynote presentations that inspire and delight audiences.

STEVEN’S musical history began in the early 1970s when his father bought him a ukulele at age 10. A love of George Formby and a determination to play as well as him eventually had its impact and Steven was playing and singing in his native North East (Lanchester, Durham) in pubs and clubs.

George Sunshine started performing when he was 8 years old. His parents bought him a “Jerry Mahoney” Ventriloquist puppet from the Sears catalogue as a birthday gift. They thought he would play with it, and then lose interest. They began to worry when he started doing shows for his school and other local organizations. They haven’t stopped worrying since. In college, he started playing the Ukulele and combining it with Ventriloquism, created a wonderful one-man show that has been entertaining people for over 30 years. He has appeared on national television with Bill Cosby and on tour with Bill Crystal. “A very entertaining evening. Sunshine & Company is another high score for theatre” - The Daily Freeman

I’ve been creating digital graphics since 1998. I’ve done work in every type of digital media, but my main interest has always been 3D illustration. My favorite style is goofy characters like the frogs here, but I’ve done more technical projects as well. I currently work as a graphic artist and 3D illustrator for Directions Marketing in Neenah, WI. I occasionally take on freelance work.

Tim Sweeney is a polished, passionate virtuoso performer. He is a multi-instrumentalist, whose purchase of a ukulele and a chord chart in the summer of 2003 was a musical life-changing experience. Quickly discovering the compatability between his voice, the ukulele and the songs of the Great American Songbook, Tim shifted his focus, discovered his passion, and is enjoying an exciting resurgent music career.

Sweet Soubrette features the songwriting, vocals and ukulele of Ellia Bisker, whose dark, edgy love songs have captured fans’ hearts since she began performing solo in 2006. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been published in a variety of online and print magazines, and her songwriting was honored with an ASCAPlus Award for 2009/2010. Bust Magazine describes her as “Brooklyn’s fishnet-clad femme fatale.”