Sol Hoʻopiʻi
Sol Hoʻopiʻi | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai |
Born | 1902 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii |
Died | Seattle, Washington, US | November 16, 1953
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, ukulele |
Years active | 1920–1953 |
Labels | Decca, Brunswick |
Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai (
Early life
He was born Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai
Sol's family taught him to sing and play instruments by the time he could walk. He was playing the
He made his debut with
Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio
By 1924, Hoʻopiʻi had moved to Los Angeles, where he formed the Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio, with Glenwood Leslie and Lani McIntyre, including sometimes additional musicians, and he successfully performed in the local and then very popular Polynesian-themed night venues. His first recordings in 1925–28 featured often jazzy improvisation.
He recorded his best known material 1933 to 1938, as Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio,
Originally favouring the acoustic lap steel guitar, he switched to electric lap steel only around 1935 and developed an original tuning, in addition to the open A or open G tunings commonly in use at the time.
He very often applied bluesy and jazzy treatments to the
Christian ministry
In 1938,[6] Hoʻopiʻi gave up his secular career to join the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, writing and performing songs for her tours.[7][8] A rare video[9] exists of Hoʻopiʻi playing traditional hymns on his lap steel guitar, accompanied by Christian composer Phillip Stanley Kerr[10] on the piano.
Kerr mis-pronounces Sol's name as "hope-y". (Prior to, and for years after Hawaii's statehood, many Americans mis-pronounced the state's name as How-Wah-Yah, leading to show biz jokes about the 50th state of "How Are Ya?" )
Titled Musical Moments with Sol Hoʻopiʻi and His Hawaiian Guitar, part of The Scriptures Visualized series, this was produced in 1942 by C.O. Baptista Films of Chicago.[11] Part 2[12] of the video begins with Phil Kerr and Sol Hoʻopiʻi testifying about Hoʻopiʻi's Christian conversion, and contains a rare moment of Hoʻopiʻi doing a falsetto rendition of Kerr's composition I'm in Love with the Lover of my Soul.
Steel guitar history
Some historians credit Joseph Kekuku with inventing the Hawaiian steel guitar about 1889 from an acoustic Spanish guitar.[13] This was long before Hoʻopiʻi's time.
As far as the electrified lap steel, Philip Kerr mentions in the 1942 Baptista video that Hoʻopiʻi "was the originator of this electric guitar that he's playing."
Final days and death
For the last few years of his life Hoʻopiʻi was blind, but he continued to play, compose, and teach.[3] Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai died November 16, 1953. His place of death has been listed alternately as Los Angeles, California, or Seattle, Washington.
Bud Tutmarc, a Christian
Tutmarc died December 4, 2006, and his web site photo page has a snapshot of Sol and Bud having what looks like a one-on-one jam session. (photo #6 of the "Middle Years" gallery)[22]
Hoʻopiʻi is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).[23] Steel guitarist George de Fretes, who died in 1981, considered Hoʻopiʻi to be his idol, and is buried next to him.[24]
In popular culture
The Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio appears as a house band wearing "...pink shirts and matching trousers, with red cummerbunds and leis..." in the 1998 novel Damned in Paradise.[25]
Sol Hoʻopiʻi's guitar and memorabilia make an appearance in the 2004 novel The Celestial Jukebox.[26]
Garrison Keillor does a brief tip of the hat to "Sol Hoʻopiʻi and his Royal Hawaiians" in his 2004 novel Love Me.[27]
Author Simon Leng likens George Harrison's slide guitar work with the Traveling Wilburys to "a 1990s Sol Hoʻopiʻi" in his 2006 book on the works of the British legend.[28]
Awards
In 1996,[2] Hoʻopiʻi became an honoree in the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame[29] inducted Hoʻopiʻi in 1979.
In 2012 Hoʻopiʻi's recording of the Gershwin standard "Fascinating Rhythm" was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."[30]
Soundtracks
Hoʻopiʻi performed in a number of Hollywood "jazz" movies like His Jazz Bride, and later he was involved in the exotic movies craze, appearing notably in Bird of Paradise, Waikiki Wedding, and even some Charlie Chan mystery movies. He also performed in the soundtrack for the Betty Boop cartoon Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle.
Discography (partial)
78 RPM singles
Brunswick Sessions 1933–34
- Hula Girls – Brunswick 6768
- King Kamehameha – Brunswick 6873
- Ten Tiny Toes, One Baby Nose – Brunswick 6687
- King's Serenade – Brunswick 6950
Decca Sessions 1938
- Twilight Blues – Decca 2560
- Stack O' Lee – Decca 2241
- Fascinatin' Rhythm – Decca 2280
- Farewell Blues – Decca 2241
Compilation CD
- Sol Hoʻopiʻi in Hollywood Grass Skirt
Filmography
- Radio Kisses (1930)
- Divorced Sweethearts (1930)
- Flirtation Walk (1934)
- High Tension (1936)
- Hawaiian Nights (1939)
See also
References
- ^ a b "Sol Hoʻopiʻi – King of the Hawaiian Guitar". Brad's Page of Steel. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Hoʻopiʻi Hall of Fame". Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-57424-021-8.
- ^ "Novelty Trio 1936 Flower Lei recording". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "Hula Girl". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-85828-017-2.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2949-0.
- ^ "Aimee Semple McPherson". The Foursquare Church. Retrieved May 21, 2010. The Foursquare Church
- ^ "Part 1 – Rare Hoʻopiʻi Video". YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ "Phillip Stanley Kerr". Hymnary.org. Retrieved May 21, 2010.Hymnary.org
- ^ "Baptista Film Mission – Collection 225". Billy Graham Center. Retrieved May 21, 2010.Billy Graham Center
- ^ a b "Part 2 – Rare Ho'opi'i Video". YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ "History of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar". Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association. Retrieved May 21, 2010. Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
- ^ "Tabernacle Observes 26th Anniversary". The Evening Independent. April 15, 1950.
- ^ "The Earliest Days of the Electric Guitar". rickenbacker.com. Rickenbacker International. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Ross, Michael (February 17, 2015). "Pedal to the Metal: A Short History of the Pedal Steel Guitar". premierguitar.com. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ "First-ever electric guitar patent awarded to the Electro String Corporation". history.com. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ "Indiana March". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "Three In One Medley". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "At Calvary-Power In The Blood". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "I'll Go With Him". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "Bud Tutmarc". Brandon Tutmarc. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ "Memorial Sol Hoʻopiʻi". Find A Grave. Retrieved May 21, 2010. Find A Grave
- ^ Concertzender.nl Saturday March 15, 2014 23:00 – 00:00 Exitos Musicales, Surata Istana of Krontjong Minstrels led by George De Fretes (repeat).
- ISBN 978-0-451-19104-5.
- ISBN 978-1-59376-052-6.
- ISBN 978-0-14-200499-9.
- ISBN 978-1-4234-0609-9.
- ^ "Steel Guitar Hall of Fame". The Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2010.he Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, Inc
- ^ "The National Recording Registry 2011". National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. May 24, 2012.