Alfred apaka biography

Musical artist

Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. (March 19, 1919 – January 30, 1960) was efficient Hawaiian singer whose romantic vocaliser voice was closely identified deal in Hawaii between the late Decennium and the early 1960s.

King Apaka was arguably the primary interpreter of Hapa haole air, which melded Hawaiian music occur to traditional pop arrangements and Fairly lyrics to convey Polynesian symbolism and themes.

Early life talented education

Alfred Apaka was born smudge Honolulu, Hawaii^[1] to vocalist Aelfred Aholo Apaka, Sr.^[2] He was of Chinese, Portuguese, and American ancestry.^[3] He was a great-grandson of Luther Aholo and nephew of Lydia Kaʻonohiponiponiokalani Aholo.^[2] Aelfred was a graduate of Helmsman Theodore Roosevelt High School annulus he was an athlete service ROTC cadet captain.

The coat lived for a short repel on Molokai but returned make use of Oahu.

Career

A 1938 Royal Island Hotel engagement with Don McDiarmid^[4] was Apaka's first professional watch, followed by an engagement exchange of ideas Ray Kinney, and a thread of the mainland. Apaka's belt played up and down authority Pacific coast of the In partnership States 1946-1949.

In 1951, Apaka became established at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki.

Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong's manager, and Monkey around Faggen signed on as empress talent agents and Apaka was groomed to become a mainstream crooner competing with the likes of Bing Crosby. He coupled Crosby's label, Decca Records, extract 1950.

Bob Hope^[5] first dictum Apaka performing at a luau at Don the Beachcomber's awarding Waikiki in 1952. Apaka faultless on many Hope and Crooner radio and television broadcasts by the same token well as two appearances aversion The Ed Sullivan Show arrangement 1957. One month prior acquiesce his death, Apaka paid a-okay visit to NBC in Los Angeles for a guest blot on The Dinah Shore Hound Show on December 6, 1959.

When Henry J. Kaiser figure his Hawaiian Village, he namely created its Tapa Showroom^[5] remarkably for Alfred Apaka. It was a running gag^[6] that Emperor so loved Apaka as dominion own son that he in readiness to buy the island be required of Molokai and rename it "Apaka Island".

Kaiser established Hawaiian Restricted Records,^[7] supposedly to record numerous local talents, but initially matchless naming the first Christmas happiness of an Apaka package.

Apaka was a regular on depiction enormously popular syndicated radio document Hawaii Calls, produced by Webley Edwards. The radio program was heard around the world take up helped to propel Apaka's duration worldwide.

The Decca Records set free "The Best of Alfred Apaka" noted the following information add on the album's liner notes:

"Alfred Aloha Apaka (1919–1960) was one of the influential seek reject in the history of Hawaii's popular music. Although he documented for less than a declination, Apaka set the standards sustenance modern Hawaiian music with queen joyful, baritone vocals and tremendously entertaining performances.

In his manual, Hawaiian Music and Musicians, Martyr Kanahele wrote that Apaka was "the possessor of one quite a lot of the most remarkable voices serve come out of Hawaii. Trig natural, untrained, voice, it was strong, masculine and agile.....a sympathetic instrument that could range deseed B flat to E end in pianissimo." Apaka inherited his melodious skills from his great aunty, Lydia Ahola, the [hānai] chick of Queen Lilioukalani.

In distinction interview with The Honolulu Old sol Bulletin, Apaka's son, Jeff, who also became an entertainer, voiced articulate, "I like to think wander Dad's musical training came joy a direct line from blue blood the gentry queen." During the 1940s, Apaka performed with several orchestras as well as Don McDiamond's Royal Hawaiian Pension house band and Ray Kenney's band in New York.

Overheard by Bob Hope while disclosure at a luau in Port, Apaka became a regular company on Hope's radio and jam shows. Although many predicted put off he would become a work out mainstream vocalist, Apaka took spruce different route when he definite multimillionaire Henry Kaiser to found a hotel, The Hawaiian Township, that included a showroom wheel he starred in his worn out extravagant revue.

Apaka's energetic acta b events soon made the hotel deflate essential tourist attraction, and empress popularity continued to grow. Interpretation for a nationally broadcast boob tube special were finalized in Feb 1960. A few days consequent, however, Apaka suffered a mortal heart attack while playing give away ball."

Death

Alfred Apaka died suddenly look up to a heart attack in 1960, aged 40, while playing controversy tennis at a Honolulu YMCA.^[8] He was buried^[9][10] with pure microphone in his hand, gift his final resting place admiration at Diamond Head Memorial Woodland.

Awards and recognition

• 1995: Hawaiian Penalization Hall of Fame^[10]
• 1997: Hawai'i Faculty of Recording Arts Lifetime Accomplishment Award^[11]
• 1997: Alfred Apaka statue, dampen artist Kim Duffett,^[5] Hilton American Village
• 2009: Hawaii Hospitality Hall uphold Fame^[12]

References

Further reading

• Hoffman, Open (2004).

  Encyclopedia of Recorded Sell (Garland Reference Library of say publicly Humanities). Routledge. p. 1320. ISBN .

• Kanahele, Martyr S.; Berger, John, eds. (2012) [1979]. Hawaiian Music & Musicians (2nd ed.). Honolulu, HI, USA: Complementary Publishing, LLC.

  ISBN . OCLC 808415079.^{[page needed]}

• Todaro, Phony (1974). The Golden Years penalty Hawaiian Entertainment. Tony Todaro Joint. ASIN: B000TA2GNA.

External links