July 2021 marks four years since Kitty Lux, co-founder of the Ukulele Orchestra died. Before her death several different re-mixes of her singing, (worked on by a renowned European group of Ibiza DJs), taken from her recording with the orchestra of the song “Bang Bang, You Shot Me Down”, were released.

Given that Kitty started off drawing attention with her own song and group “Sheeny and the Goys”, and the punk classic “Pretty Girls”, and that she went on to make recordings with the acclaimed ahead-of-its-time Leeds indie band “Really”, (album available here, including contributions from George Hinchliffe and UOGB and “Really” co-founder, bass player and composer David Bowie ) and that the Ukulele Orchestra (as well as releasing its own products) has had releases by Ministry of Sound, Volume, Cosmosonica, The Big Chill, Longman, Takyon, CBS, Sony, Discethnique, and other entities concerned with contemporary sounds, it is only appropriate that the voice of Kitty Lux (and Lux is her real name, not an onstage concoction), continues to have a contemporary effect on listeners years after her death.

This video shows vintage shots of Kitty Lux and the Ukulele Orchestra and features the original UOGB recording of “Bang Bang, You Shot Me Down”, the song made famous by Nancy Sinatra, Sony Bono, Cher and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

You can read about the CD of all of the Ibiza remixes, and the original UOGB track here, where the CD of all of them is also available for sale. These remixes were also released by Buddha Bar, and have made waves as choice chill-out tracks.

Kitty’s voice and original compositions are also prominently featured on all the tracks on the 1989 LP recorded by the Ukulele Orchestra: “Hearts of Oak”, which the Guardian reviewed, proclaiming: “At last, the ukulele has found its avant-garde”.

Kitty Lux, co-founder, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Born 28 October 1957; Died 16 July 2017