John T: Banjo Ukulele Hero

I wanted to take a minute to note the passing of John Thompson - John T to his customers and friends - to stroke.

John was from the UK. Here he is on a trip to the New York Ukulele Festival; while here in NYC, he bought a vintage Gibson ukulele at Mandolin Brothers on Staaten Island.

There are not that many people who are truly schooled in banjo ukuleles, but John T was one of the most knowledgeable out there. More importantly, he shared his knowledge, freely and happily, with those of us who were trying to learn more or trying to figure out how to set up to produce a great sound or the right action.

John's son James broke the news to his friends and acquaintances on Ukulele Cosmos this week.

When I was researching Stromberg-Voisinet ukes some years ago, I found John playing his S-V-made Wizard uke on You Tube. He answered my request for info right away and gave more than I asked for. Everyone on the Cosmos tells a similar story.

John's Ukulele Shop has been a great resource for new players, and you can find it in my links section at the bottom of each page of this blog.

Those who were lucky enough to spend time with him talk about his generosity of time and spirit, but they also talk about how much fun he was to be around.

He was 52. Take a moment to lift a glass.