Banjo Ukuleles
Tommy and Christian began building banjo ukuleles in the summer of 2009. Christian's wife, Vera, is a ukulele player, and she wanted a banjo uke built to fit her. Tommy constructed a prototype, and he and Christian built the first production for Vera. George banjos proudly displayed five new "Cutie" line banjo ukes at the Folk Alliance Conference 2010, which was held in Memphis. Tommy is currently working to get a new batch of ukes ready for the Banjo Rally in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which will be held over Labor Day weekend this year. See the In Progress page to view the work on these ukes - including the new handmade, nickel-plated George bracket bands and tension hoops, and don't forget to stop by the For Sale page to see banjo ukes that are ready to ship!
The ukes in the photo above were completed for the Folk Alliance Conference in February 2010. Below are a trio of ukes created for some very special customers.
Deco Ukuleles
Inspired by the classic banjo ukes of the Jazz Age, Tommy and Christian have been building these throw back instruments for a little over a year now, and boy do they turn heads and attract attention!
The fingerboards are made of a pearloid material that is both durable and extremely attractive.
2010 Serenity Banjo Uke
Ordered by a cusomter in North Carolina, this banjo uke features custom inlay work specially comissioned for this project.
Helen Keller's Banjo Ukulele
Rita Burkeholder of Huntsville, Alabama may be an unpreposessing mother of two by day, but by night she wows audiences from here to Germany as the singing sensation "Helen Keller's Ukulele." After seeing the banjo uke that Christian built for his wife in 2009 (see below), she comissioned a very special banjo uke from George Banjos. Christian and Tommy worked closely with Rita to design a banjo uke perfectly adapted to her needs as a touring musician, and we even incorporated her trademark vintage cat's eye glasses into the peghead inlay. Peghead photo courtesy Mandi Cook.
The photos below show a very happy Helen Keller's Ukulele with her new banjo uke. We drove down from Memphis to hand deliver it, and she even played us a song!
Ms. Vera Victoria's Banjolele
Born in Huntville but recently transplanted to Memphis, Ms. Vera Victoria has joined a long line of musically talented North Alabama natives to make Memphis their home. (Others in this line include W.C. Handy and Sam Phillips, to name only two...)
With husband Christian Stanfield of George Banjos, Ms. Vera Victoria performs vintage jazz, blues and jug band music of the 1920's and 30's as Memphis's famous Side Street Steppers. She plays ukuleles and banjos, and she approached Christian in mid-2009 to create a stage-worthy work of art upon which to work her banjolele magic. The result is a breathaking amber beauty, tigerstriped maple neck and rim with a pair of dice inlaid in the peghead and a star on the heel.
Be sure to check out the short-scale "A" banjo that Christian built for Vera, which can be seen on this site in the Open Back Banjo gallery.
You can see Vera, Christian and the rest of the Side Street Steppers by clicking the link below:
Val June's Banjo Uke
With the voice and face of an angel and a Medusan tangle of dreadlocks as thick and strong as her family ties and her musical roots in the flatlands of West Tennessee, Valerie June is a true original and an emerging star in the legendary and still vibrant Memphis music scene.
A self-taught guitar player, composer and troubadour of heartbreak ballads, folk songs, spirituals, soul-stirring blues and what she calls “Organic Moonshine Roots Music,” Valerie is poised to reach a wide audience as one of the stars of the ballyhooed new MTV web series “$5 Cover,” written and directed by Craig Brewer, creator of the Oscar-winning movie “Hustle & Flow.”
Mary Burns, owner of Java Cabana coffee shop in Memphis, commissioned a very special George banjo uke for her friend Val June. Look for Val and her banjo ukulele at the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival sponsored by the Center for Southern Folklore on South Main Street this Labor Day weekend.