I'll always associate the ukelele with George Formby. I watched loads of his old films on TV in England years ago, and my dad was a fan of his when he was boy.

I was at a folk festival here in the US some years ago, and Arlo Guthrie was doing a gig at the festival. Frankly, that's the only reason I went. I had seen Arlo Guthrie perform years before at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he explained to the audience that his father Woody's song "This Land is Your Land" could be applied to England if you went around the world in the opposite direction!

Anyway, back to the US and the folk festival. A boy who looked about ten stepped forward out of the audience and asked Arlo if he could play something by George Formby! Well, blow me down, but without missing a beat he launched straight into "Ukelele Lady"!

When I later told my parents about this they were less amazed than I was, because they pointed out that "Ukelele Lady" wasn't originally by George Formby, but was by an American whose name they had forgotten.

I think I have found out who they meant. Frank Crumit. I stumbled across his recording on YouTube. There are lots of other gems on there including "The Pig Got Up And Slowly Walked Away" (...you can tell a man who boozes, by the company he chooses, and the pig got up, and slowly walked away ...). Don't miss that one.

There are also a lot of film clips of George Formby on YouTube, including one of a rehearsal of "My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" at the Tower Ballroom on the famous Blackpool Tower.

I have a lot of Chinese clients at work, including a couple of guys called Mr. Wu or Woo. I can't see the name without hearing in my head George Formby singing Chinese Laundry Blues, and usually find myself sing a few bars as well.

...well, I'm feeling kind of tawdry,
when I'm ironing ladies' laundry,
Mr. Woo, what can I do?
I've got those kind of low down Chinese Laundry Blues!