The Kookalele

These Kook-A-La-Lees were pretty popular in the 60s. Surfers would play them and when a righteous wave would come up, they'd turn them upside down, stick their heads in the sand, grab their board, and hit the waves! This explains the long neck of most of the Kook-A-La-Lees.

These were considered novelty ukuleles and usually just ended up hanging on peoples' walls as wood art. They definitely have a style to them. These instruments are made of beech ply. They are quite thin in

the body like a Travel Ukulele and people are surprised with how good they sound. They have become quite a collector's item in the past few years.

They were created by Ancil Swagerty and produced by the Swagerty Specialties Company in San Clemente California in the 1960s. The firm closed in the early 1970's. These pieces of wall hanging art eventually became to be known as pretty good sounding ukuleles. With their exaggerated shape and bright colors they were real eye catchers. Apparently they were made in a variety of colors. I found the picture of Nancy Sinatra playing a yellow one.

These unique ukuleles were endorsed by musician, comedian and writer Steve Allen. They were proclaimed to be "a new sound for a new generation". These Kooky-ukes were sold In department stores and west coast music stores. They were promoted as part of the California surfing lifestyle.

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