Lil Rev (Marc Revenson), was born 1968 in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

is a musician best known for his

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

music, and is also a renowned

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

and

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

player. In 1984, he was given an old Wendell Hall Banjo Ukulele which started his passion for the instrument. Since then, Lil Rev has released a series of books, focusing on ukulele and harmonica instruction, as well as providing instruction locally through workshops. His performances feature a multitude of instruments and story-telling.

Awards

*2004 - "Best Folksinger Award" from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry. *1996 - National Blues Harmonica Champion

Instruments

Lil' Rev's instrument of choice is most often a Mya-Moe resonator ukulele in various sizes.Lil' Rev on Mya-Moe Website
/ref> He prefers the Hohner Special 20 for his harmonica playing.

Media

Discography

Solo

* ''Ragged But Beautiful'' (1994) * ''Mouth Organ Minstrel'' (1996) * ''Blues for the People'' (1997) * ''That Old Madness'' (1999) * ''Sojourns & Sidewalks'' (2001) * ''Fountain of Uke'' (2003) * ''Fountain of Uke Vol. 2'' (2005) * ''Drop Baby, Drop'', Patchwork Records (2009) * ''Happiest Way to be Sad'', Fountain of Uke Music (2011) * ''Claw and Hammer'', Fountain of Uke Records (2016)

Collaborations

* ''Uke Town'' with Pig Ankle Dave, Lil Rev Music (1996) * ''Around the Camp Fire Late At Night'' with Larry Penn (2010)

DVD

* ''Showpieces with Lil' Rev''

Books

Music Books

* ''Easy Songs for Ukulele'', Hal Leonard Corporation (September 1, 2008) * ''Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1'', Hal Leonard Corporation (December 1, 2005) (Also available in Spanish) * ''Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 2'', Hal Leonard Corporation (September 1, 2008) * ''Play Harmonica Today'', Hal Leonard Corporation (December 1, 2009) * ''101 Ukulele Licks'', Hal Leonard Corporation (January 1, 2011) * ''Hal Leonard Baritone Ukulele Method Book 1'', Hal Leonard Corporation (June 1, 2012) * ''Fiddle Tunes for Ukulele'', Hal Leonard Corporation (November 1, 2014) * ''Essential Strums & Strokes for Ukulele: A Treasury of Strum-Hand Techniques'', Hal Leonard Corporation (October 1, 2015) * ''Intros, Endings & Turnarounds for Ukulele: Spice Up Your Uke Repertoire with These Timeless Chestnuts'', Hal Leonard (June 1, 2018) * ''Blue Arpeggios'' * ''Lil' Rev's Strum Along Songbook'' * ''Sing Song Daddy Songbook''

Poetry

* ''Lil' Red Poem Book'' * ''Lil' Gold Poem Book'' * ''Ukulele Nation''

Appears in

* ''Mighty Uke: The Amazing Comeback of a Musical Underdog''

Notes

External links

Lil' Rev Official website

Fountain of Uke - Lil' Rev's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lil' Rev Musicians from Milwaukee Writers from Milwaukee 1968 births Living people American ukulele players American harmonica players