Kimo Wilder McVay
Encyclopedia
Kimo Wilder McVay was a musician turned talent manager, who successfully promoted Hawaiian entertainment acts. McVay promoted and managed acts such as teenage heart throb Robin Luke
, Don Ho
, John Rowles, comic Andy Bumatai, Keolo and Kapono Beamer, ventroliquist Freddie Morris, magician John Hirokawa and many others.
, and granddaughter of shipping magnate Samuel Garner Wilder
.
One of his many cousins on his mother's side was George R. Carter
(1866–1933), the Territorial Governor of Hawaii
.
It was possibly the clearing of his father's name that gave Kimo Wilder McVay the most personal satisfaction. His father was found guilty of negligence in 1945 and committed suicide as a result. Kimo spent his adult life on a quest to clear the record. Half a century later,
the United States Congress passed action exhonerating the senior McVay.
He was managing Hirokawa when he died on June 29, 2001.
music program when McVay saw the potential
of this fresh-faced teenager. McVay hooked Luke up with Bob Bertram of the Hawaii-based Bertram International Studio where they recorded Susie Darlin about Luke's kid sister. McVay went on to promote the song with local deejays
and TV stations, helping to make the song a national hit.
. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship
was developed by Kimo McVay in 1965, in part to help publicize the newly opened Duke Kahanamoku's nightclub McVay operated in the International Market Place in Waikiki. In the early 1960s, Kimo accompanied Duke Kahanamoku to see the up-and-coming Don Ho
at Honey's in Kaneohe. It was a magic moment that brought Don to Duke's Waikiki nightclub as a springboard to international fame for Ho and his band The Aliis. With Don on stage hoisting a mai tai glass and encouraging the crowd to "Suck 'em up, everybody!", the promotional "Suck 'em Up"-themed mai tai glasses became souvenirs among Don Ho fandom. It was McVay who in 1967 talked Don Ho into recording the song Tiny Bubbles, written by Leon Pober, Ho's signature tune.
as Duke's in-residence act to follow Ho's tenure at the nightclub. Rowles had already made his United States debut the same year at the Flamingo Las Vegas
, following Ho's booking at that venue. When Rowles was the in-residence act at Duke's, McVay placed copies of Rowles' hit single Cheryl Moana Marie into invitations for the opening of Al Lopaka as a fill in act for Rowles. Under McVay's management, Rowles would become the headliner at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room.
awarded McVay the 1999 Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award for his substantial contributions to the entertainment industry in Hawaii.
Robin Luke
Robin Luke is an American rockabilly singer who is best known for his 1958 song, "Susie Darlin". He has been enshrined in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, Don Ho
Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy "Don" Ho was a Hawaiian and traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer.-Life and career:Ho, of Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, but he grew up in Kāneohe on the windward side of the island of Oahu...
, John Rowles, comic Andy Bumatai, Keolo and Kapono Beamer, ventroliquist Freddie Morris, magician John Hirokawa and many others.
Biography
Kimo Wilder McVay was born September 16, 1927 in Washington, DC. His father was Navy Captain Charles Butler McVay III. His mother was Hawaii heiress Kinau Wilder (1902–1992), great-granddaughter of pioneering missionary physician and politician Gerrit Parmele JuddGerrit P. Judd
Gerrit Parmele Judd was an American physician and missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii who later became a trusted advisor and cabinet minister to King Kamehameha III.- Life :...
, and granddaughter of shipping magnate Samuel Garner Wilder
Samuel Garner Wilder
Samuel Gardner Wilder was an American shipping magnate and politician who developed a major transportation company in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Gardner Wilder was born June 20, 1831 in Leominster, Massachusetts....
.
One of his many cousins on his mother's side was George R. Carter
George R. Carter
George Robert Carter was the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1903 to 1907.He was born December 28, 1866 in Honolulu. His mother was Sybil Augusta Judd , daughter of Gerrit P...
(1866–1933), the Territorial Governor of Hawaii
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
.
It was possibly the clearing of his father's name that gave Kimo Wilder McVay the most personal satisfaction. His father was found guilty of negligence in 1945 and committed suicide as a result. Kimo spent his adult life on a quest to clear the record. Half a century later,
the United States Congress passed action exhonerating the senior McVay.
He was managing Hirokawa when he died on June 29, 2001.
Robin Luke
High school student Robin Luke was appearing in a 1958 Punahou SchoolPunahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
music program when McVay saw the potential
of this fresh-faced teenager. McVay hooked Luke up with Bob Bertram of the Hawaii-based Bertram International Studio where they recorded Susie Darlin about Luke's kid sister. McVay went on to promote the song with local deejays
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and TV stations, helping to make the song a national hit.
Duke Kahanamoku and Don Ho
Kimo was a friend and manager to Duke KahanamokuDuke Kahanamoku
Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian swimmer, actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player and businessman credited with spreading the sport of surfing. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming.-Early years:The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name...
. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship
Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship
The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship is named in honor of the "Father of Modern Surfing", Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku. The contest began in 1965 by invitation only at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu until it was replaced by the Billabong Pro in 1985...
was developed by Kimo McVay in 1965, in part to help publicize the newly opened Duke Kahanamoku's nightclub McVay operated in the International Market Place in Waikiki. In the early 1960s, Kimo accompanied Duke Kahanamoku to see the up-and-coming Don Ho
Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy "Don" Ho was a Hawaiian and traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer.-Life and career:Ho, of Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent, was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako, but he grew up in Kāneohe on the windward side of the island of Oahu...
at Honey's in Kaneohe. It was a magic moment that brought Don to Duke's Waikiki nightclub as a springboard to international fame for Ho and his band The Aliis. With Don on stage hoisting a mai tai glass and encouraging the crowd to "Suck 'em up, everybody!", the promotional "Suck 'em Up"-themed mai tai glasses became souvenirs among Don Ho fandom. It was McVay who in 1967 talked Don Ho into recording the song Tiny Bubbles, written by Leon Pober, Ho's signature tune.
John Rowles
McVay lined up Maori artist John RowlesJohn Rowles
John Edward Rowles OBE is a New Zealand singer. He was most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, and most famous for his song Cheryl Moana Marie, which he had written about his kid sister back home in New Zealand.Rowles is part Māori. His father, Eddie Hohapata Rowles, played for the 1938 Māori...
as Duke's in-residence act to follow Ho's tenure at the nightclub. Rowles had already made his United States debut the same year at the Flamingo Las Vegas
Flamingo Las Vegas
The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The property offers a casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms...
, following Ho's booking at that venue. When Rowles was the in-residence act at Duke's, McVay placed copies of Rowles' hit single Cheryl Moana Marie into invitations for the opening of Al Lopaka as a fill in act for Rowles. Under McVay's management, Rowles would become the headliner at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room.
Na Hoku Hanohano Award
The Hawai'i Academy of Recording ArtsHawai'i Academy of Recording Arts
The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts is a nonprofit organization formed in 1982 to stimulate interest in the local recording industry and the music of Hawaii.-External links:*...
awarded McVay the 1999 Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award for his substantial contributions to the entertainment industry in Hawaii.