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Charlie Burse

1901–1965

United States

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Biography

Charlie Burse (August 25, 1901 – December 20, 1965) was an American blues musician, best known for his work with the Memphis Jug Band. His nicknames included "Laughing Charlie," "Uke Kid Burse" and "The Ukulele Kid." The "uke" in his nicknames referred to the first instrument he was known for, the tenor banjo, which was commonly called a "ukulele-banjo" in the South. Later photographs show him with a tenor guitar, a similar instrument that he played in the same tuning.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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