SKU: HL.240927
Richard Konter & The
Byrd Polar
Expeditions. Book.
History / Expeditions &
Discoveries, Music
History. Hardcover. 322
pages. Published by Hal
Leonard (HL.240927).
ISBN 9781495099489.
UPC: 888680702533.
6.25x9.25x0.85 inches.
Larry Bartram with Dick
Boak.
A Stowaway
Ukulele Revealed: Richard
Konter & the Byrd
Polar Expeditions is the
unlikely and compelling
story of a
globe-trotting,
ukulele-strumming
Brooklyn sailor named
Richard Konter and his
famous autographed
instrument. At the height
of the ukulele craze,
Konter was a go-to
arranger for Tin Pan
Alley composers and
publishers. In 1926,
Konter shipped out as a
member of the crew of the
Byrd Arctic Expedition.
As a riveted world
followed their progress
(and that of their
arch-rival, Roald
Amundsen, the world's
greatest polar explorer),
Konter managed to get his
ukulele aboard Byrd's
plane for the first
successful polar flight.
A keen contributor to
history in the making,
Konter managed to obtain
the autographs of more
than 150 individuals,
both famous and unknown,
all of whom respected the
importance of Konter's
North Pole ukulele.
Later, Konter accompanied
Byrd to Antarctica and
later married, for the
first time at age 80, the
love of his life. For the
first time, A Stowaway
Ukulele Revealed: Richard
Konter & the Byrd
Polar Expeditions details
the marvelously diverse
cast of characters who
autographed this little
instrument, presenting
mini-biographies and
photographs to illustrate
the interconnected web of
lives brought together by
Konter. New archival
research, interviews, and
imaging all combine to
make A Stowaway Ukulele
Revealed: Richard Konter
& the Byrd Polar
Expeditions a
spellbinding read that
blends biography, music,
polar exploration,
history, determination,
courage, and romance.
ARTRA
