SHE was cast opposite Yul Brynner in her heyday in The King and I at the London Palladium and even performed for the Queen at the Royal Variety Show.

But now Warrington’s own Maori singer Makuini has gone back to her roots and her first love with the ukulele.

Makuini, who grew up in the rural village of Jerusalem in New Zealand. started learning the ukulele when she was three.

She said: “It was my first instrument. We all played it. There wasn’t an excuse not to. You start at primary school with a ‘uke’ and that’s it.

“I don’t whether it was because we were close to Hawaii or had that sort of affinity with Hawaii.

“My grandparents understood that side of things but my generation was brought up with George Formby and here we are now in Warrington where he was from. Isn’t it a small world?”

Makuini said the instrument was engrained into her upbringing and culture.

She added: “It was prayers and then the uke. I was originally from a family of 14 and we all played an instrument – but that was one you started on.”

Makuini got a bursary to study at the Auckland Music School and then later hit the UK club club circuit, wanting to be like her heroes Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald.

But now the Fearnhead resident has picked up the ukulele again to perform in a trio with her partner David Wright and Phil Clark.

The band is called Visionz and they have already had a number of highlights like recording in a studio in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle and performing at a ukulele celebration at the famous Cavern Club to celebrate what would have been George Harrison’s 75th birthday.

They performed Rocking Chair in Hawaii from the former Beatle’s last solo album.

David said: “George’s wife sent a video of him playing. That was really touching because he was a huge ukulele fan. Joe Brown has written a song called See You In My Dreams which is a tear jerker as he and George were best of friends and would sit around playing their ukuleles.”

Makuini, who specialises in six-string ukuleles and has five of them at home, added: “It was emotional day because I’ve always been a fan of George Harrison.

“Since the Beatles arrived in the 1960s he was my idol. Up until the Beatles we just sang psalm music and church music.”

David said: “There’s ukulele festivals all over the place and there’s some professionals who are untouchable.

“But because there’s not a huge pro scene there’s more of a family of players who are breaking the gap between young and old.

“You can play pop songs on them so it’s like you have to become a virtuoso to partake.”

David’s parents originally owned two butcher shops in Stockton Heath. But a family feud led them to sell up and move to New Zealand.

David then met Makuini in 1977 when he was working for a company who looked after musicians who were appearing on TV shows.

Their paths brushed on a programme called Top of the World which was about multi-talented performers. The likes of Cliff Richard featured on it.

David, a former Alderman Bolton Primary School pupil, added: “We used to get the Warrington Guardian sent to New Zealand

One of our relatives rolled it up and put it in the post for us when it was a full size paper and I remember seeing ads for the Beatles playing in Warrington

“I was like: ‘Why am I here?’ But eventually they arrived in New Zealand in 1964.

“I reckon at that time the reception was bigger than the Queen. Streets were blocked and kids took time off school. It was like Warrington had come home and won the cup.”

The couple eventually came back to the UK permanently in the early 80s through their association with talent agent Dave Warwick, who discovered Rick Astley.

David, of Oban Grove, said: “I met Dave when he was working in the basement in Dawsons and would DJ. He was a big DJ in his day. When he got an agency together he said: ‘If you can get Makuini a gig at the London Palladium I’ll give you a job’.

“Funnily enough we made that happen with The King and I. I ended up running three recording studios in town.

“As technology became more advanced recording studios started to diminish so we looked at other options.

“We decided we were in a position where we could gig again as our daughter was at an age where she could be looked after. The telephone rang and off we went.”

Makuini added: “I call Warrington my home and our daughter Celena was born here.

“There’s the excitement that goes with that. You never know what’s around the corner – like the Cavern gig.

“Our career has taken us all around Europe and we’ve cruised all around South America and I would never have had those opportunities if I was in New Zealand.”

Meanwhile Makuini is in rehearsal with her singing and drama students at Warrington’s Hayward Dance Academy for their annual show on March 11 at The Brindley in Runcorn.

She said: “It’s great to nurture the next generation of talent. They come to me to sharpen up their audition skills and I had three last year who went to London to pursue their careers.”

  • Visionz will be performing at the Acoustic Cafe in Sankey Street on March 16