John King (ukulelist)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

For other people named John King, see John King.

John Robert King (John) (October 13, 1953 – April 3, 2009)[1][2] was a ukulele player known for his
interpretation of classical music.

Contents

[hide]

• 1Early life and education

• 2Ukulele revolution

• 3Works

• 4Death

• 5References

• 6Works and external links

Early life and education[edit]

The son of a navy pilot,[2] King was born in San Diego. His father's position took the young King to
Hawaii for a few years in his childhood, where he was introduced to the ukulele by his mother. Despite
his early start in the ukulele, he initially showed no aptitude for the instrument, but quickly became a
proficient guitar player, studying at one point with both Pepe Romero and his father Celedonio.

King attended Old Dominion University and later took a post as a guitar teacher at Eckerd College—
where he taught for 30 years[2]—in St. Petersburg, a city that became his home for life.

Ukulele revolution[edit]

Upon learning that the ancestor of the modern guitar was tuned similarly to the ukulele, he
reacquainted himself with the instrument, commissioning an Italian luthier to make a classical ukulele
for him. With it, he revived a guitar-playing technique from the Baroque era: succeeding notes are
played on different strings, allowing the previous note to continue ringing. Known as campanella style,
which means 'little bells' in Latin.

King's repertoire ranged widely, but he is particularly noted for his interpretation of Johann Sebastian
Bach. In 2008, the Journal of the Society for American Music called King "perhaps the world's only true
classical 'ukulele virtuoso'".[3]

King is featured in a short segment in the extras on the DVD release of Mighty Uke: The Amazing
Comeback of a Musical Underdog, a 2010 documentary on the ukulele.

Works[edit]
King recorded two records, and wrote several books of ukulele arrangements. He did extensive research
into the history of classical guitar and the ukulele, writing numerous essays. He wrote an encyclopedia
of Hawaiian luthiers. He was working on a history of the ukulele with Jim Tranquada at the time of his
death which was published in 2012, The Ukulele: A History, published by University of Hawaii Press.

Death[edit]

King died of a heart attack at his home at the age of 55.

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Martin, Douglas (April 27, 2009). "John King, Made Ukulele Ring With Bach, Dies at
55". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2009.

2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Meacham, Andrew (April 8, 2009). "John King, an Eckerd College instructor,
was a true virtuoso of the ukulele". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 27, 2009.

3. Jump up^ Yasui, Byron K. (February 2008). "Review of The Jumping Flea: Tales of the Modern
Ukulele". Journal of the Society for American Music. 2 (1): 134–135.

Works and external links[edit]

• Bach Prelude: John King ukulele on YouTube

• Bach Bouree from BWV 1006: John King ukulele on YouTube

• King, John (November–December 2005). "How I Learned to Play the 'Ukulele" (PDF). Spirit of
Aloha. Aloha Airlines. Retrieved April 28, 2009.

• King, John; Tranquada, Jim (2003). "New History of the Origins and Development of the 'Ukulele,
1838-1915". Hawaiian Journal of History. 37: 1–34. hdl:10524/382.

• King, John (2003). The Hawaiian Ukulele and Guitar Makers 1884-1930 As Listed in the Honolulu
City Directory and Other Contemporary Sources. NALU music. ISBN 978-0-9729385-0-1. ISBN 0-9729385-
0-8.