Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra/Desmond Dekker- Israelites (Chords)

The ukulele seems to be a big hit with the ad makers at the moment. A few that leap to mind are McDonalds, Travelocity, e.on and, of course, the Hawaii Chair. And the Wellingtons have got in on the action providing tunes for a series of Whitcoulls ads (including Ruby and Israelites). But Israelites is already seared into brain from another advert. So much so I always find myself singing What ‘m I gonna spread on my toast?.

Suggested Strumming

For the reggae strumming, make sure you keep the chords short and sharp. And emphasise the 2 and 4 beats. Here’s a simple strum you could use.

– – d u – – d –

Twiddly Bits

There’s this little run after, “… the Israelites.”

Which gets expanded with a few bends for the solo section where this is repeated:

Buy Israelites by WIUO
Buy Israelites by Desmond Dekker