This week, two hours of uninterrupted holiday music done Hawaiian style. These songs and the artists that performed them are just a few of my many favorites. I hope I picked a few your favorites, too! I hope these songs bring you wonderful memories that warm the heart and make this season just that much more special. Thanks for making this program a small part of your holidays.

Wishing you and your loved ones the happiest of holidays and peace, love, and joy in this season and thoughout the new year.

Thanks for listening!

Bill Wynne

This week, we begin to celebrate the season with holiday classics - both old and new - from Hawai`i. Along the way we’ll take away the instruments and look at a capella gems from Nina Keali`iwahamana and Danny Kaleikini. I’ll share some sacred songs done in the traditional Hawaiian falsetto by Sam Keli`iho`omalu, Ata Damasco, and Na Palapalai. And it wouldn’t be Ho`olohe Hou if we didn’t blow the dust off of some rarities, so I will share some special holiday memories from Lucky Luck, Alfred Apaka, and a favorite of listeners of this program, Aunty Genoa Keawe.

Plus more songs of snow, sleigh bells, children, family, presents, Santa Claus, and the real reason for the season - the birth of a Savior.

I hope you enjoy these songs I’ve picked to share with you this week. Season’s Greetings from Ho`olohe Hou! Thanks for making us a part of your Sunday.

Enjoy!

Bill Wynne

We cover a lot of ground this week, listeners! We spend the first hour examining the influence of the rhythms of Spain, Brazil, and the Latin Americas on Hawaiian music from the 1960s - when the Bossa Nova craze was sweeping the country - to the present. We then look at just a few of the songs that make us homesick for Hawai`i. We’ll celebrate the birthday of entertainer Nani Lee Meadows with some rare live performances by Nani with her late husband, legendary composer and entertainer Kui Lee, and their pals Don Ho, Sonny Chillingworth, and Zulu - just as it happened one evening at Don’s parents’ place, Honey’s Tavern, in Kane`ohe in the early 1960s. We will also celebrate the birthday of a falsetto legend - arguably the best of all time - Mahi`ai Beamer, with some of his earliest and most rare recordings. And, finally, we return to our “Then and Again? segment with a look at a classic composition from then pen of friends Mary Kawena Pukui and Maddy Lam in two recordings made 40 years apart by two different artists using the exact same Benny Saks arrangement.

As you might already have guessed by my lengthy conspicuous absence from the airwaves, I have been more than a little under the weather for a few weeks now - a pretty nasty bout with bronchitis. And I have coughed myself right out of a voice! My silence has been a blessing to family, friends, and co-workers, but it doesn’t do much for the avocation of a budding radio show host.

But, as they say, the show must go on! So I bring you a most unorthodox show this week… My first foray into the world of radio was as a child making mix tapes in my parents’ den. I made epic mix tapes from my then still growing collection of Hawaiian music, and these tapes became a staple for long road trips with the family. (In a manner of speaking, I still make my mix tapes. But now I share them with you every week and call them Ho`olohe Hou. ) This week’s program is one of those mix tapes I made circa. 1989 (or nearly 20 years ago). So there is no new music here - mostly classics from some of the legends of Hawaiian music plus a few from seldom-heard artists. I remastered this right from the original cassette tape. I hope it satisfies all of our cravings for some much needed Hawaiian music to make our day of rest even more restful and see us through the week ahead.

I hope to be back with you in person - or as much as we can be “in person? via the Internet - next week. Until then…

Enjoy!

Bill Wynne

What do you say about a living legend on the occasion of her 89^th birthday? You don’t. With a career spanning more than 60 years and hundreds of recordings covering 50 of those years, you simply let her music speak for itself.

It’s Aunty Genoa Keawe’s birthday! Mahalo for helping me celebrate in style. It is my sincere hope that you enjoy this program as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you.

Bill Wynne

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD

**Recent release available on CD

***Remastered and re-released on a compilation CD

This week on Ho`olohe Hou we feature 50 years of recordings by the godmother of all Hawaiian music, Aunty Genoa Keawe, as we celebrate this Halloween baby's 89th birthday.

Tune in this Sunday at 50th State Radio for two hours of reminiscing with the music of everybody's favorite aunty - from her very first recording in 1946 to her most recent in 1996 and including even more recent guest appearances with the young lions of Hawaiian music like Zanuck Lindsey, Raiatea Helm, and Pali.

1-3pm HST

3-5pm PST

6-8pm EST

This week’s program begins by continuing our look at traditional Hawaiian music today that I began last week after my return from Hawai`i. Having spent seventeen days on O`ahu in September, I am eager to share with you the beautiful Hawaiian music I heard - and I heard plenty! I open this week’s program by sharing my typical Wednesday and Thursday evening in Honolulu with you. Wednesdays begin at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel with Chris Kamaka and Baba Alimoot (known together as Hema Pa`a), then down Ala Moana Boulevard to Aloha Tower Marketplace where The Brothers Cazimero perform in the relaxed but elegant atmosphere of Chai’s Island Bistro, then back to Waikiki for a late evening with Weldon Kekauoha at Tiki’s Grill and Bar at the ResortQuest Waikiki Hotel.

The remainder of the program focuses on someone who was arguably the islands’ greatest female composer of all time: Hawai`i's Songbird, Lena Machado. I don’t know what else to say about Auntie Lena except the she had a “way with words? - unlike any other. This program takes a look at the two facets of her career as vocalist and composer. This set opens with several numbers from out-of-print Columbia 78 rpms with Andy Cummings featuring Auntie Lena‘s beautiful voice, and then we spend an hour with the greats of Hawaiian music interpreting Auntie Lena’s many compositions.

As part of our Lena Machado birthday celebration, I challenge you with another “Three-Of-A-Kind? contest. I have tried to adjust for the difficulty level of this week’s contest in two ways: I have added a fourth song to this set to give you an additional clue, and I have created a set that has not one, but two correct answers. If you think you know what these four Lena Machado recordings have in common, send me an e-mail at bill@50thstateradio.com.

I encourage you to learn more about the life and music of Lena Machado. I have filled this program with lots of Auntie Lena’s music and, in so doing, I left little time to talk about the songs or the amazing woman who gave them life. But Auntie Lena’s hanai daughter, Pi`olani Motta, with the help of Kihei Silva, has written the definitive book about Lena Machado’s life and compositions. Check out Songbird of Hawai`i.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and requests. Send me an e-mail at the e-mail address above. Enjoy the show!  

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD

**Recent release available on CD

This week on Ho`olohe Hou, we celebrate the birthday of one of the most important figures in the history of Hawaiian music: Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs. “Papa? Isaacs’ contributions to Hawaiian music are incalculable - including the formation of one of the seminal Hawaiian music ensembles (the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders featuring the falsetto voices of Benny Kalama and George Kainapau and the unique steel guitar stylings of Tommy Castro), composing more than 300 songs in both English and Hawaiian (think “Nalani,? “Analani E,? and the comic “No Huhu?), and bringing into the world three more musical Isaacs (steel guitar great Barney Isaacs, slack key legend Atta Isaacs, and singer, bassist, and funnyman Norman Isaacs).

My goal was to cram as much of “Papa? Isaacs music into a two-hour program as possible. In so doing, I made the mistake of saying very little about the man. So, some things you should know:

Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs taught himself to play most string and wind instruments by the age of ten. He formed an orchestra by the age of 13 - doubling on piano and mandolin - and composed the first of his more than 300 songs a year later. (The first - “Kau`ionalani? - has been recorded countless times - most recently by Amy Hanaiali`i Gilliom, a selection featured on this week’s program.) During this period, this husky lad also excelled in sports. As a freshman at McKinley High he became the first freshman in Hawai`i’s history to make the All-Star Scholastics football squad, and he did equally well in track, baseball, and swimming.

Alvin married his high school sweetheart, Julita Chung, in 1924. To support the large family they planned (they eventually raised ten children), Alvin joined the Honolulu Police Department as a motorcycle patrolman. But after a debilitating motorcycle accident on the HPD job which left him hospitalized for a year, he turned his full attention to music for income - and the Hawaiian music world hasn’t been the same since.

After the tragic accident, Alvin organized a group, the K.M.M. Syncopators, in 1929. He formed several other groups after, including the original Royal Hawaiians (which often featured the great Ray Kinney) and The Islanders which enjoyed a long run at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. In 1935, he joined a band led by Harry Owens’ (who took over at the Royal), and Alvin was this group’s featured singer and comic hula dancer until 1940.

Alvin reorganized The Islanders in 1940 and they played at the Young Hotel Roof Garden until the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the same time as his run at the Young Hotel, Alvin led another band - Alvin Kaleolani and The Royal Polynesians - who were the house band for the nationwide NBC program “The Voice Of Hawai`i.? After the attack of December 7th, Alvin joined the U.S. Engineers and served as lieutenant of the guard at Punahou and took his troup of entertainers on the U.S.O. circuit.

In 1947, he assembled the aforementioned Royal Hawaiian Serenaders - an aggregation featuring Honolulu’s finest musicians of that era. Benny Kalama had a beautiful voice, a way with an `ukulele, and a knack for arranging. George Kainapau was Hawai`i’s premier falsetto singer. And Tommy Castro was a well-regarded and oft-copied steel guitarist. Along with Isaacs’ compositions, the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders were an unbeatable combination who made musical history at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel from 1947 until 1951. They made numerous recordings for the then fledgling Bell Records label (under their own name and as accompanists for other singers) and they embarked on four mainland tours which broke attendance records at the leading west coast hotels. It was this mainland exposure which helped introduce Alvin to Bing Crosby (who featured Alvin on his radio programs) and which led to work on Hollywood soundstages with Harry Owens.

A guiding principle that helped shape Alvin’s philosophy on life was his faith. He was a lifelong member of the Mormon Church, and it was not uncommon for the Isaacs clan to spend evenings in family prayer. Alvin was very active in his church, and it was while producing a talent show at his church that he conceived of the comedy classic “No Huhu.? They were rehearsing a one-act skit featuring a Chinese-dialect comedian, and Alvin dreamed up the idea for the song and had it finished it only two hours. “No Huhu? remains a staple of the Hawaiian comedy repertoire. You may hear steel guiatarist Alan Akaka perform this with aplomb on Thursday evenings when performing with Genoa Keawe and Her Hawaiians, or you may catch Ocean Kaowili regaling audiences at Honey’s at Ko`olau with this number on Sunday afternoons. (In an earlier time, two steel guitarists were known for their way with this song - Jules Ah See and Alvin’s son, Barney Isaacs. You will hear Barney’s version on this program, and you will hear Jules Ah See’s version when this program celebrates his birthday next June.)

The world lost Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs in 1984, but his memory lives on through his many compositions. This program will take a look at the new generation of Hawaiian music artists’ take on Isaacs’ classic compositions.

This week’s program opens with music from a 1984 recording by Alvin Isaacs’ longtime friend and partner, Benny Kalama - a recording on which Benny recreated the classic sound of the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders (and an album which, in my personal opinion, was robbed of a well-deserved Na Hoku Hanohano award). We then spend some time listening to the 1940s recordings of the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders on Bell Records on which Benny and Alvin performed together. Listen and discover the timeless sound Alvin and friends created that is still recognized as epitomical “Hawaiian music? - a sound you can still hear today at sunset each evening at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki.

The remainder of the program focuses on Isaacs’ numerous compositions performed by some of Hawai`i’s most well-loved artists - including some long forgotten names and voices. I expect that these selections will bring back great memories for some of you and for others the realization that some of your favorite Hawaiian standards are, in fact, Alvin K. Isaacs compositions. During this set, you will hear some selections from an extremely rare LP entitled “A Lei Of Songs From Sam? by Sam Kahalewai. I included as many songs from this recording as I could fit since it was extremely rare to get the Isaacs `ohana into the recording studio together, but “A Lei Of Songs From Sam? features Barney Isaacs on steel guitar, Norman Isaacs on bass, Alvin Isaacs on `ukulele, and - a surprise! - Gabby Pahinui on guitar, and more than half of this beautiful record features the compositions of Alvin Isaacs.  (If only slack key guitarist Atta Isaacs had been present at these sessions...)

And speaking of Barney, this week in our “Why In The World Is This Out Of Print?? segment, we revisit an out-of-print treasure from just a few years ago - “E Mau - Take One? - with a band led by Barney Isaacs and which - like Benny Kalama’s “He Is Hawaiian Music? just a few years before - recreated the classic Royal Hawaiian Serenaders sound. Barney enlisted the help of Benny Kalama for this recording, as well as Aaron Mahi on bass and singer, guitarist, and vintage Hawaiian music acolyte Scott Furushima.

This week’s “Three-Of-A-Kind? contest is very special. After listening to so much Alvin Isaacs music, listen closely to these three selections and the answer should be apparent to you! If not, listen closely anyway because they are three beautiful recordings which represent rare moments in Hawaiian music history. (That is a hint!)

And we close the program with proof of the timelessness of Alvin Isaacs’ compositions as we feature a handful of recording by today’s Hawaiian music artists performing Isaacs’ classic songs.

To listen to the show, click on the link to 50th State Radio or on the radio logo in the navigation pane.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and requests. Send an e-mail to bill@50thstateradio.com .

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD.

**Selections from the same recording session by the same artist remastered and rereleased on CD but which does not include the out-of-print selection featured on this program.

***Recent release available on CD.

****This selection remastered and rereleased on a compilation CD.

This week’s program opens with music from the 1970s before taking a further leap backward to the 1950s and 60s with some long out-of-print treasures. (My goal each week is to play at least one recording you have likely not heard before - even if you are an aficianado and collector of Hawaiian recordings.  But I am guessing there will be more than one you have never heard before in this first half hour set!) We then proceed to celebrate the birthdays of three Hawaiian music giants: the Sons of Hawaii bassist and arranger Joe Marshall; singer, guitarist, composer, and arranger Sonny Kamahele; and slack key master Ledward Kaapana. We mourn the passing of the multitalented Walter Mo`okini. And in this week’s “Why In The World Is This Out Of Print?? we take another listen to a party favorite of long, long ago from Tony Lindsey and Friends.

Oh, and of course, there is another “Three-Of-A-Kind? contest this time around! But I’m not sure why since none of our listeners have even attempted the last two! If my hunch is correct that I have simply been making these much too difficult, I made this week‘s contest considerably easier. Give it a try…

To listen to the show, click on the link to 50th State Radio or on the radio logo in the navigation pane.

Enjoy the show! We look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and requests. Send an e-mail to bill@50thstateradio.com. 

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD.

**Selections from the same recording session by the same artist remastered and rereleased on CD but which does not include the out-of-print selection featured on this program.

***Recent release available on CD.

This week’s program opens with music perfect for a Sunday morning - vintage recordings from the 1950s and 60s. Last week we took a look at Hawaiian music across three decades - the 50s, 60s, and 70s. This week we take another look forward - at what we have in store in the weeks, months, and years to come on Ho`olohe Hou - by taking a look back - at classic out-of-print Hawaiian music of the 80s and 90s. In “Why In The World Is This Out Of Print?? we take a quick look at three Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning albums from not so long ago by Kapono Beamer, Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, and The Peter Moon Band. In a new segment - "Unlikely Heroes In Hawaiian Music" - we examine the life and work of steel guitar master Jerry Byrd. And then a look at another master as we revisit the unique slack key guitar stylings of Atta Isaacs. We challenge you with another “Three-Of-A-Kind? contest - this time one especially for slack key guitarists and other fans of slack key. And we celebrate the birthday of chanter, composer, author, lecturer, and consultant on all things Hawaiian, Kaupena Wong.

To listen to the show, click on the link to 50th State Radio or on the radio logo in the navigation pane.

Enjoy the show! We look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and requests. Send an e-mail to bill@50thstateradio.com. 

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD.

**Selections from the same recording session by the same artist remastered and rereleased on CD but which does not include the out-of-print selection featured on this program.

***Recent release available on CD.

Welcome back to Ho`olohe Hou! We’re pleased and honored that you joined us for this program’s new beginning at 50th State Radio. Because 50th State Radio has revived this program, now we can continue to revive the Hawaiian music of a bygone era. Mahalo nui loa to my new `ohana at 50th State Radio. Here’s looking forward to many happy years together…

This week’s program opens with music from four living legends. And then for those who have never heard the program before, we get a feel for what Ho`olohe Hou is all about - and the many treasures in store in the coming weeks, months, and years from this program - by reliving the halcyon days of Hawaiian music with some out-of-print classics from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. (Slack key guitarists will revel in the earliest recording of one of their heroes, Sonny Chillingworth.) We challenge you with the first of many “Three-Of-A-Kind? contests. We reintroduce a segment - “Why In The World Is This Out Of Print?? - by revisiting an out-of-print treasure from not so long ago from the Brothers Cazimero. We celebrate the birthdays of singer/pianist George Paoa, singer/composer Ihilani Miller, composer and slack key guitarist Alice Namakelua. And we remember a different side of the late, great Don Ho.

To listen to the show, click on the link to 50th State Radio above or on the radio logo in the navigation pane.

Enjoy the show! We look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and requests. Send an e-mail to bill@50thstateradio.com. 

All selections out-of-print unless indicated. (Click on the link to a title to locate a possible distribution source.)

*Remastered and rereleased on CD.

**Selections from the same recording session by the same artist remastered and rereleased on CD but which does not include the out-of-print selection featured on this program.

Ho`olohe Hou, the program featuring classic Hawaiian music from my vast archive of rare and out-of-print Hawaiian music, has found a new home - 50th State Radio!  The expanded 2-hour format will air every Sunday at 9:30am Pacific Time beginning August 19th.

BUT don't wait to tune into 50th State Radio!  The fun has already started over there with Uncle "It's Aloha Friday" Paul Natto and Haole Jack and a gang of others.  50th State Radio is streaming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and like good old-fashioned radio, it's free.  Just click on the 50th State Radio logo to start enjoying.

Many thanks to my new `ohana at 50th State Radio for perpetuating Hawaiian music, culture, and memories and for recognizing the humble contribution of Ho`olohe Hou to that effort.

To the listeners, thank you for your patience, understanding, and support while Ho`olohe Hou struggled to find its legs - and its wings!  There is good fun, good memories, and good music waiting for you all on August 19th...

Me ka ha`aha`a,

Bill Wynne

The folks over at taropatch.net had been talking about this song and the fact that numerous Hawaiian songs utilize different melodies and chord structures but the same lyrics.  ("Hi`ilawe" and "Kaimana Hila" come to mind among the many songs that have at least two different melodies.)  It can be very confusing!

I was able to identify recordings of "Na Moku `Eha" employing as many as three different melodies and chord structures.  So I very quickly threw together a montage of different versions of "Na Moku `Eha" so that all three different versions could be heard side-by-side.

The first version is performed by Kalama's Quartet, Alfred Apaka, Pat Ka`anoi, and the Sunday Manoa.

The second version is performed by Braddah Smitty, the Peter Moon Band, and George Helm.

And the third version is performed by Benny Kalama.

I hope this helps... Enjoy!