Cliff Edwards

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Cliff Edwards (14 June 1895 - 17 July 1971), also known as “Ukulele Ike”, was an American singer and musician who enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. He also did voices for animated cartoons later in his career, and is fondly remembered as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio (1940). He also voiced one of the crows in Walt Disney’s Dumbo.

Edwards was born Clifton A. Edwards in Hannibal, Missouri. He left school at age 14 and soon moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he entertained as a singer in saloons. As many places had pianos in bad shape or none at all, Edwards taught himself to play ukulele (then often spelled “ukelele”) to serve as his own accompanist (selecting that instrument as it was the cheapest in the music store). He got the nickname “Ukelele Ike” from a club owner who could not remember his name. He got his first break in 1918 at the Arsonia Cafe in Chicago, Illinois, where he performed a tune called “Ja Da”, written by the club’s pianist, Bob Carleton. Edwards and Carleton made the tune a hit on the vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville headliner Joe Frisco hired Edwards as part of his act, which was featured at the Palace in New York City, the most prestigious theater in vaudeville, and then in the Ziegfeld Follies.
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  • LaxATivvz

    I'm Crying 'Cause I Know I'm Losing You might be the most beautiful song I've ever heard

    8 Oct 2012 Reply

  • d0l

    love his voice.

    1 Jun 2012 Reply

  • herbeard

    The sweetest.

    9 Apr 2011 Reply

  • TANK_Ex_Mortis

    Can anyone tell me if it's the Mills Brothers backing him on It's an Old Southern Custom? It's supposedly from George White's Scandals and I know they were featured there on more than one occasion.

    30 Dec 2010 Reply

  • danno82

    I can't sit through When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio with out getting teary eyed. Purely beautiful.

    27 Mar 2008 Reply

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