When Billboard Associate Publisher, Jim Beloff purchased his first
ukulele at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in 1992, there were no ukulele
songbook collections on the market--none--just a few vintage
instructional books. As an already-accomplished guitarist, this
frustrated Jim, who had fallen in love instantly with this little
instrument. Sensing that there might be an opportunity to fill this
void, he and his graphic-artist wife, Liz, created Flea Market Music,
Inc., which, for thirty years, has published more than three dozen song
and instructional books, totaling over one million copies in print. They
have also grown the ukulele market through their influential
fleamarketmusic.com website, the creation of the popular UKEtopia
concert series, marketing and promoting their family's line of ukuleles,
consulting on two major museum shows, and a continuous performing
schedule. At the same time, Jim (aka Jumpin' Jim) wrote the first
complete full-color history book on the ukulele, recorded and produced
nearly a dozen CDs, made three instructional DVDs, composed two ukulele
concertos for symphony orchestra, penned numerous articles for ukulele
and trade magazines, and continues to lead workshops at uke festivals
throughout the world. Today, Jim and Liz are recognized as having played
a major role in the current third wave of ukulele popularity. They've
also accumulated a lot of wonderful stories and photographs in their
almost three decades of ukulele adventures that are included in
UKEtopia! Jim also recounts some stories of memorable experiences
trading licks and working with celebrities such as George Harrison,
Bette Midler, William H. Macy, Eddie Vedder and, yes, Tiny Tim.
