If all the ukuleles in central Arkansas played the same
song at the same time, what would it sound like? This is the musical question that Conway based ukulelist William Higgs hopes to answer
during his appearance at Garland County Library, Hot Springs, Saturday, April 14th at
2 pm. The program, “Ukulele Bill and the
Great Uke Salute” will feature a concert, prize give-aways, and a group
play-along of “Sloop John B.” by the Beach Boys.
“Since
a couple of our staff members have started playing the ukulele, we’ve noticed
an interest in the instrument and hope this will be a fun way to learn more about
it from a ukulele master,” John Wells, Library Director, said. “Bill Higgs is a fantastic musician and I’m
sure that more folks will get uke fever after they’ve seen him play.”
Bill
Higgs was inspired by The Beatles to start playing music. “I was in the 6th grade when I
heard them for the first time and I never looked back,” Higgs said. “We started a band and played music at dances
and parties until we graduated high school. In college I got into the acoustic
guitar movement and followed that road for several years. After college in Memphis, I met a fellow from North Carolina and proceeded to play
bluegrass (mostly banjo) in a band for the next four years.”
After
moving to Conway
in 1992, Higgs began playing mandolin with the “ToadSuck Symphony.” For the
next 15 years, “we proceeded to horrify traditional bluegrass lovers with our
bluegrass versions of rock music from the 60’s on,” Higgs said. Recently, Higgs has mainly
played ukulele.
“It
is truly a happy little instrument that can play almost any genre and time
period,” Higgs said. “It can be very
sophisticated or very simple. You can truly celebrate life with your ukulele.”
In
addition to playing music, Higgs builds stringed instruments and has built four
tenor ukuleles, three of which he currently plays, the other a gift to his son.
“Building instruments is something that gives me as much joy as playing and I
encourage any of you, if you are so inclined, to give it a whirl,” Higgs said.
Chord
sheets of “Sloop John B.” are available at the library for those who want to
practice before the play-along. “I have
no idea how many people play the ukulele, but we want them all to come play
along with Bill April 14th,” Wells said. “We know that there will be four more
ukuleles in the area that day, because we’re giving them away as prizes at the
concert. I hope that anyone who plays or
has interest in hearing some great music will be sure to sign up for the show.”
The
concert is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Call the library at 501-623-4161 or
501-922-4483 to reserve a seat or for more information.
