"It has a sweet voice, it`s cheap and easy to play, and you can carry it as hand luggage" and because the ukulele has no repertory of its own "it allows us to do things that are both entertaining and creative without having to meet the technical requirements of being virtuoso classical players or image-conscious pop musicians" Hinchliffe explains to the Chicago Tribune why the Ukulele was chosen. It was an "outsider instrument" with a "blank slate" that was not limited by the conventions of either classical or rock music. Hinchliffe informed The Chicago Tribune that the original idea included turning a derided instrument which lacked a serious repertoire of its own into a respected concert instrument. Hinchliffe named the new musical group with a deliberate oxymoron, 'The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain', "and suddenly we were the world's first ukulele orchestra." The ukulele was selected for its musical versatility rather than its novelty value. Williams recalled that his first ukulele cost "£17 with wholesale discount". After first playing together, they purchased a few ukuleles for some of their friends, including David Suich and Richie Williams. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB) was formed in London in 1985 when the multi-instrumentalist and musicologist George Hinchliffe gave his friend the post-punk singer Kitty Lux a ukulele for her birthday, after she had expressed an interest in learning more about harmony.
The UOGB has also often been credited for being largely responsible for the current world-wide resurgence in popularity of the ukulele and ukulele groups. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been called "not only a national institution, but also a world-wide phenomenon".
The UOGB has consistently received critical praise from the media for its concerts. Over the years the UOGB has released over 30 albums, but have spent most of their time touring around the world. Lux died in 2017, two years after retiring from the orchestra due to chronic ill health. Along with Lux and Hinchliffe, David Suich and Ritchie Williams are original members Hester Goodman, Will Grove-White, Jonty Bankes, Peter Brooke Turner joined in the early 1990s, Leisa Rea joined in 2003, Ben Rouse in 2014 and Laura Currie in 2021. The UOGB has purposely remained an independent music group, unsigned to any record label. Songs are introduced with light hearted deadpan humour, and juxtaposition is a feature of their act, the members of the orchestra wear semi-formal (black tie) evening dress and sit behind music stands, in a parody of a classical ensemble. The songs are often performed with a reinterpretation, sometimes with a complete genre twist, or well known songs from multiple genres are seamlessly woven together. The UOGB is best known for performing musically faithful but often tongue-in-cheek covers of popular songs and musical pieces from a wide variety of music genres taken "from the rich pageant of western music". The orchestra features ukuleles of various sizes and registers from soprano to bass. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain ( UOGB) is a British musical ensemble founded in 1985 by George Hinchliffe and Kitty Lux as bit of fun. Problems playing this file? See media help.
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