Roy Smeck, the Wizard of the Strings, was a multi-instrumntalist who rose to prominence on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s. He could play just about anything with strings, and he combined jaw-dropping virtuosity with old-school showmanship. His recordings on Hawaiian steel guitar are first-rate, his banjo playing was excellent, and he was a stellar guitarist. Here he is playing the New Orleans classic ‘Tiger Rag’ on the ukulele.

Here’s another nice clip of Roy, demonstrating his skills on Hawaiian steel guitar, ukulele, guitar, and banjo. This one’s a 7-minute musical short, so there’s reams of Roy, scads of Smeck.