Over the past two decades, Hawaiian-born ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro has gone from YouTube sensation to a member of the National Council on the Arts. 

Over the years, he has proven that there isn’t a style of music that he can’t play. While versatility for any musician is impressive, what’s remarkable about Shimabukuro’s talent is that he explores jazz, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, and even classical all while honoring his Hawaiian culture on a criminally underappreciated instrument. 

No stranger to Fort Wayne, Shimabukuro has performed in the Summit City on many occasions throughout his career, each time taking the audience on a new and adventurous journey. Now out on the road introducing his newest album, Jake & Friends, available on Nov. 13, Shimabukuro no doubt has a new ride in mind for those who attend the Oct. 9 show at The Clyde Theatre. 

Although Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Loggins, and Bette Midler, just a few of the “friends” that have lauded Shimabukuro’s talent in the past and appear on his latest offering, won’t perform during this concert, Shimabukuro will likely play some of the songs he recorded with those legends along with other favorites, including his amazing rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the song that started it all, his cover of The Beatles’ classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”