FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
JAKE SHIMABAKURO

May 22, 2017  | by Ross Eustis

Jake Shimabukuro

Widely recognized as “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele,” Jake Shimabukuro has created an international fanbase as a sensational performer whose concerts (and viral videos) leave listeners awed, dazzled and delighted. Here are five things to know about the ukulele master:

1. Jake picked up the ukulele at age four – his mom played and he kept bugging her to teach him. ("From that day on, you had to pry the instrument away from me to get me to do anything else.")
2. In 2005, Shimabukuro gained international recognition when a video of him performing George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" went viral on YouTube. ("At the time, I didn't even know what YouTube was. Nobody did, especially in Hawaii.")
3. Following his YouTube hit, Jake went on to collaborate with Jimmy Buffett, Béla Fleck, Ziggy Marley, Cyndi Lauper, Keali'i Reichel, and Yo-Yo Ma.
4. Shimabukuro has always been active in charity – he was the director for Music Is Good Medicine, before founding his own non-proift organization Four Strings Foundation, which creates music education workshops nationwide and provides instruments, materials, and training tools to schools and music teachers.
5. In 2012, the award-winning documentary Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings was released, which tracks his life, career, and music. It's been screened at a number of festivals, has aired repeatedly on PBS, and released on DVD. (Watch trailer)