My dog has fleas

A grab bag of musical tidbits today:

A friend has recently picked up the ukelele.  A ukelele is a four stringed instrument, sort of lute-like.  It has its origins in Hawaii, where it was made as an interpretation of other instruments called the cavaquinho, bruguinha, and rajao.  These instruments were introduced to Hawaiian culture by Portuguese immigrants.  They are also super fun to play!  I have one too, and it's a quiet, soothing kind of instrument to strum on and sing along with.  Go out and get your own!  It's uke-mania!!!

In the background is some blues music by Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield, 1915-1983), an American bluesman, who is considered to be responsible for Chicago style blues.  Chicago blues, generally speaking, is characterized by electric guitar and harmonica, in contrast to the acoustic/bottleneck guitar of the Delta blues.  Some of his popular hits include (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man, They Call Me Muddy Waters, and I Just Want to Make Love to You.  He was influenced by the great Delta bluesmen Son House and Robert Johnson.

I have ordered a new instrument, and recently got a message that it has been shipped.  Can't wait for it to get here, because it is so different than any of my current instruments.  It's another cliff-hanger.  You'll have to tune in again to find out what it is!