Jack Pepper Part 1: Ain’t That Too Bad

Ain’t That Too Bad (Chords)

And so we reach the end of the Jack Pepper trilogy with part 1.

The song is written out in C tuning but the Jack Pepper version is two frets higher - in D tuning.

Thanks to Arch for working out the chords to this and I’ve Got A Mama…

If this is your first visit here, you can find the chords/tab in those posts by clicking on the song title in red.

Jack Pepper Part 2: Girl of My Dreams

Girl of My Dreams (Chords)

No uke on this song - other than it being wafted around in the air. But it does work very well on the uke. The chords are in D-tuning to match the uke in the other songs in this set.

The chord progression at the start of the tune reminds me of The Beatles. The chord change from major to minor on the G chord (IV - IVm) has a particularly Beatles-y sound to it. They used it many times; most effectively on Blackbird (All your life…). It’s such a Beatles-y move that Oasis ripped it off for Don’t Look Back In Anger. It goes to show what a debt The Beatles owe to the classic songwriters and aren’t the beginning of songwriting that they’re often made out to be.

Jack Pepper Part 3: I Got A Mama…

I Got A Mama In New Orleans Another Mama Up In Maine (Chords C Tuning)

I Got A Mama In New Orleans Another Mama Up In Maine (Chords D Tuning)

Yes, I’m starting a series of posts with part 3. Anyone who has a problem with that is stuck in the Web 1.0 world. Start thinking outside the box or get left behind, people.

The reason I’m starting with part 3 is that Heather requested the chords for the third song in the Jack Pepper medley which I posted a while ago. Luckily for me and my lazy attitude, the chords have already been sussed out by chord connoisseur Arch Larizza.

I’ve put up the chords in both C and D tuning. Pepper plays the song in D tuning but the chords work just as well, if not better, in C tuning. There’s a great change from G to Eb7 made by sliding your index and ring fingers down a fret. It sounds very different from the same change in D tuning.

As well as the chords, Pepper plays a little riff after, “Most all the time.” He plays the D string at the second fret and bends it (pulls it downwards) until it is the same pitch as the third fret. Do that twice then play the string open and then at the second fret (without the bend).

The other two songs will be coming up soon so subscribe if you don’t want to miss them or enter your email in the box at the top left.

I couldn’t find any of Jack Pepper’s music to buy on the interweb. If anyone has any ideas please let me know in the comments.

On The Blog

The Shane Victorino ukulele figurine I mentioned last week inspired him to great things. He hit a walk off homer at the bottom of the ninth (I have no idea what any of those words signify but that appears to mean that he did good). I hope you took my advice and grabbed an armful of them as they are currently going for anything up to $100 on eBay. Making the plastic figures far more valuable than the entire Fillies team.

Old Movie Section is a blog dedicated to charting the complete history of 1930’s Hollywood. It recently covered the divorce of Ukulele Ike and (just two weeks and a short scroll later) that of Jack Pepper from Ginger Rodgers. It looks like I was wrong to talk of Pepper’s charm.

Miss Rogers nee Virginia Katherine McMath, told a story of alleged abuse and misrepresentation on the part of her husband.

Ukulady tries to cheer up Paris Hilton.

Tofu Hut plays Jake Shimabukuro to a number of school kids. General consensus: boring.

Session tracks and chat from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on Radio Foyle.

Jack Pepper

It’s rare you seen charm in comedians anymore. Usually, they’re either spraying vomit and mocking mental disability or inflicting genital torture. Jack Pepper was a man with charm. So much charm that he managed to marry Ginger Rodgers (he was her first husband of five) despite having a face like grinning frying pan.

Of course, what woman could resist uke playing like this? Add to that the sexually charged, arms to the side, leg-bending dance and all women would have been putty in his hands.