In the nineteen-teens and twenties, the four-string tenor banjo was frequently used as a rhythm instrument in dance bands, largely because it was loud enough to be heard over the drums and wind instruments. When the ukulele became popular in the mainland States. It was inevitable that someone would combine the two. Though he wasn’t the first to do it, it was Hawaii-born Alvin Keech and his brother Kelvin who popularized the new hybrid, moving first to the American mainland and eventually winding up in England. The banjulele, as Keech called it, combined the loudness of the banjo with the ease of playing of the uke. It was also a lot lighter to carry around than a standard banjo!

The banjolele (as it’s more commonly spelled nowadays) became the signature instrument of English comic singer and movie star George Formby. Formby’s “naughty”, nudge-nudge, wink-wink songs were quite racy for the time, but his boyish, innocent persona excused him in the public’s eye and he was the highest-paid performer in England during the late thirties and early forties. Even today, there are Formby Societies in England, with Formby wannabes bashing away at their banjo ukes and practicing his signature (and tricky!) split stroke. In some other clubs, the banjolele is banned because it tends to drown out everybody else!