Alfred Apaka
Encyclopedia
Alfred Apaka was born Alfred Aholo Apaka Jr
in Honolulu, Hawaii to vocalist Alfred Aholo Apaka Sr. Alfred was a graduate of President Theodore Roosevelt High School
where he was an athlete and ROTC cadet captain. The family lived for a short time on Molokai
but returned to Oahu
.
singer who possessed a romantic baritone voice. He was closely identified with Hawaii
between the late 1940s and 1960. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of Hapa haole music, which melded Hawaiian music with traditional pop music
arrangements and English
lyrics to convey Polynesia
n imagery and themes. He was of Chinese
, Portuguese
, and Hawaiian ancestry.
The 1938 Royal Hawaiian Hotel
engagement with Don Diarmid was Apaka's first professional performance, followed by an engagement with Ray Kinney
, and a tour of the mainland. Apaka's band played up and down the Pacific coast of the United States
1946-1949. In 1951, Apaka became established at the Moana Hotel
in Waikiki
.
Bob Hope
first saw Apaka in 1952 performing at a luau at Don the Beachcomber's in Waikiki. Apaka performed on many of Hope's and Bing Crosby's TV and radio shows, as well as the Ed Sullivan Show
. Joe Glaser and Jay Faggen signed on as his talent agents, and Apaka was groomed to become a mainstream crooner to compete with the likes of Bing Crosby
.
Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser
stepped into the picture and forever fused the name of Alfred Apaka with that of Hawaii. When Kaiser built his Hawaiian Village
, he specifically created its Tapa Showroom exclusively for Alfred Apaka. It was a running gag that Kaiser so loved Apaka as his own son that he planned to buy the island of Molokai
and rename it "Apaka Island". Kaiser established Hawaiian Village Records, supposedly to record many local talents, but initially only naming the first Christmas release of an Apaka package.
Apaka was a regular on the enormously popular syndicated radio program Hawaii Calls
, produced by Webley Edwards
. The radio program was heard around the world and helped to propel Apaka's career worldwide.
The Decca Records release "The Best of Alfred Apaka" noted the following information in the albums liner notes:
1997 Alfred Apaka statue, by artist Kim Duffett, Hilton Hawaiian Village
2009 Hawaii Hospitality Hall of Fame
in Honolulu, Hawaii to vocalist Alfred Aholo Apaka Sr. Alfred was a graduate of President Theodore Roosevelt High School
President Theodore Roosevelt High School
President Theodore Roosevelt High School is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve...
where he was an athlete and ROTC cadet captain. The family lived for a short time on Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
but returned to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
Biography
He was an AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer who possessed a romantic baritone voice. He was closely identified with Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
between the late 1940s and 1960. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of Hapa haole music, which melded Hawaiian music with traditional pop music
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
arrangements and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics to convey Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n imagery and themes. He was of Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, and Hawaiian ancestry.
The 1938 Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Royal Hawaiian Hotel, also known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific, is a hotel located at 2259 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is considered one of the flagship hotels in Hawaii tourism...
engagement with Don Diarmid was Apaka's first professional performance, followed by an engagement with Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney was a singer, musician, composer, orchestra leader and performer on radio, stage and screen.-Biography:...
, and a tour of the mainland. Apaka's band played up and down the Pacific coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1946-1949. In 1951, Apaka became established at the Moana Hotel
Moana Hotel
The Moana Hotel, also known as the First Lady of Waikīkī, is a famous historic hotel on the island of Oahu, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened its doors to guests in 1901, becoming the first large hotel...
in Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
.
Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
first saw Apaka in 1952 performing at a luau at Don the Beachcomber's in Waikiki. Apaka performed on many of Hope's and Bing Crosby's TV and radio shows, as well as the Ed Sullivan Show
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
. Joe Glaser and Jay Faggen signed on as his talent agents, and Apaka was groomed to become a mainstream crooner to compete with the likes of Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
.
Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
stepped into the picture and forever fused the name of Alfred Apaka with that of Hawaii. When Kaiser built his Hawaiian Village
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, formerly the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel, has been a popular hotel in the Waikiki area of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States since 1957. It is the largest hotel of the Hilton chain, with 3,386 rooms and with 7 towers...
, he specifically created its Tapa Showroom exclusively for Alfred Apaka. It was a running gag that Kaiser so loved Apaka as his own son that he planned to buy the island of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and rename it "Apaka Island". Kaiser established Hawaiian Village Records, supposedly to record many local talents, but initially only naming the first Christmas release of an Apaka package.
Apaka was a regular on the enormously popular syndicated radio program Hawaii Calls
Hawaii Calls
Hawaii Calls was a radio program that ran from 1935 through 1975 that featured live Hawaiian music conducted by Harry Owens, the composer of "Sweet Leilani"...
, produced by Webley Edwards
Webley Edwards
Webley Edwards was a World War II news correspondent and Hawaiian radio personality.-Early life and education:...
. The radio program was heard around the world and helped to propel Apaka's career worldwide.
The Decca Records release "The Best of Alfred Apaka" noted the following information in the albums liner notes:
"Alfred Aloha Apaka (1919–1960) was one of the influential performers in the history of Hawaii's popular music. Although he recorded for less than a decade, Apaka set the standards for modern Hawaiian music with his joyful, baritone vocals and highly entertaining performances. In his book, Hawaiian Music and Musicians, George Kanahele wrote that Apaka was "the possessor of one of the most remarkable voices to come out of Hawaii. A natural, untrained, voice, it was strong, masculine and agile.....a delicate instrument that could range from B flat to E in pianissimo." Apaka inherited his musical skills from his great aunt, Lydia Ahola, the daughter of Queen Lilioukalani. In an interview with The Honolulu Sun Bulletin, Apaka's son, Jeff, who also became an entertainer, said, "I like to think that Dad's musical training came in a direct line from the queen." During the '40s, Apaka performed with several orchestras including Don McDiamond's Royal Hawaiian Hotel house band and Ray Kenney's band in New York. Overheard by Bob Hope while singing at a luau in Honolulu, Apaka became a regular guest on Hope's radio and television shows. Although many predicted that he would become a successful mainstream vocalist, Apaka took a different route when he convinced multimillionaire Henry Kaiser to build a hotel, The Hawaiian Village, that included a showroom where he starred in his own extravagant revue. Apaka's energetic performances soon made the hotel an essential tourist attraction, and his popularity continued to grow. Plans for a nationally broadcast television special were finalized in February 1960. A few days later, however, Apaka suffered a fatal heart attack while playing hand ball."
Death
Alfred Apaka died suddenly in 1960, aged 40, while playing handball at the YMCA. He was buried with a microphone in his hand. His elaborate final resting place is at Diamond Head Memorial Park.Awards and recognition
1995 Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame1997 Alfred Apaka statue, by artist Kim Duffett, Hilton Hawaiian Village
2009 Hawaii Hospitality Hall of Fame