Frequent commenter Tim has sent Fretbase a cool story about Bill Tapia, a 101 year-old musician from Hawaii who just might be the oldest working musician in the world.  Bill Tapia is best known as a ukulele master, an instrument he’s played since childhood when he’d busk on Honolulu beaches.

It’s hard to imagine a career that spans two world wars, the birth of jazz and rock-n-roll plus having the chance to play with some of the all-time greats, but that’s just what old Bill has done.  Full story…

Bill Tapia can remember playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” for the doughboys heading off to World War I.  Yeah, World War I.  He’s had the chance to accompany people like Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong.  But our favorite story is about Tapia playing with Charlie Christian while working in Hollywood before WWII.  He had the chance to jam with Christian and Benny Goodman late one night at the famous Palomar Ballroom.

If you’re a San Francisco Bay Area resident Bill Tapia is playing this weekend in Berkeley.

Source: SFGate.com