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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
 Posted - 04/14/2007 : 3:08:49 PM
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auë!
thank you for posting the sad news.
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Pua Kai
Ha`aha`a
USA
1007 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2007 : 4:34:26 PM
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| Led announced it expressing his deepest sympathy to his 'ohana for their loss at today's concert. |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2007 : 6:49:25 PM
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Waikiki legend Don Ho dies
Publicist says Ho died this morning of heart failure
John Berger
Don Ho, the biggest and best-known Hawaiian entertainer of the last 50 years, died this morning of heart failure, his publicist Donna Jung confirmed.
He was 76.
Known world-wide for his recordings of songs such as “Tiny Bubbles” and “I’ll Remember You,” Ho was a Waikiki showroom headliner for more than 43 years -- from 1964, when he opened with the Aliis at Duke Kahanamoku’s in the International Market Place, until his death.
Jung said in an e-mail that funeral arrangements are pending. The family has asked for privacy. But fans can post comments at donho.com.
The popular entertainer underwent an experimental stem-cell procedure in Thailand in December 2005 for an ailing heart and returned to the stage in January 2006 for twice-a-week-shows at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber.
Last September, he checked into the hospital to have his pacemaker tuned up. He said he was considering additional stem-cell treatment if necessary, but it would mean leaving here because the procedure isn’t appoved in the United States.
Ho was one of the very few Hawaii recording artists of any genre whose recordings appeared on any of the six major Billboard record charts in the 20th century.
In 2001, he became the first Hawaii recording artist to receive a Record Industry Association of America-certified “gold” record when “Don Ho’s Greatest Hits” was certified “gold” for sales of more than 500,000 copies.
At the peak of his popularity with the Aliis at Duke’s in the mid-1960s, Ho entertained visitors and residents alike with a unique blend of Hawaiian and hapa haole standards, the mainstream pop hits of the day, and the newly written songs of Kui Lee.
However, few of the visitors who enjoyed Ho at Duke’s were aware that the guy playing the role of a laid-back hard-drinking beach boy had a degree in sociology and six years’ experience as an Air Force pilot.
Born in 1930, Ho grew up a people-watcher in Honey’s, his parents’ neighborhood bar in Kaneohe. Although he listened to everything in the juke box -- American big band swing to traditional Hawaiian music -- he showed no particular interest in music. He was a high school football star at Kamehameha, graduated from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and then joined the Air Force. It wasn’t until after he returned home in 1959 and began helping out at the bar that he got into music.
At first all he did was pick out tunes on an electric organ when business was slow. From there he became the host of informal jam sessions, and eventually a group was formed that outgrew Honey’s and became good enough to sub for Arthur Lyman and Sterling Mossman in Waikiki. The group was playing in a Waikiki bar when Kimo Wilder McVay offered them a late-night gig at Duke’s playing on a small stage near the bathrooms.
The group was such a hit that Ho asked for a raise. McVay’s counter-offer wasn’t enough to keep him -- Ho left, and the rest of the group found a new singer. Ho found a new group to work with -- the Aliis.
The Aliis -- Albert Akana, Rudolph “Rudi” Aquino, Benjamin W.C. Chong, Manuel “Manny” Lagodlagod and Jose “Joe” Mundo -- had served together in the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington D.C., and performed on a level rarely reached by local musicians their age. McVay took Sonny Burke, a veteran mainland record producer, to see Don Ho & The Aliis are the Kalia Gardens.
Burke liked what he heard, and McVay made himself the middle man in the negotiations that followed. Burke signed Don Ho & The Aliis to Reprise Records, and McVay brought them to Duke’s as the new headliners on the club’s mainstage.
The show was a smash. The Aliis could play almost anything in almost any key, Mundo was an excellent arranger, and Ho was a superb front-man. The word soon spread that Don Ho & The Aliis was the hip new show to see. Burke introduced the group to the mainstream American public with a pair of “live” albums -- “The Don Ho Show!” and “Don Ho - Again!” -- that he assembled from two nights of recordings made early in 1965. The albums captured the energy and ambiance of the show, and also showed off Ho’s eclectic repertoire. The initial boom was fueled by mainland tours, national television specials, a solo album by the Aliis, and Ho’s first solo studio album, “Tiny Bubbles.”
The Aliis left in 1969 and Ho continued as a showroom headliner with multi-year engagements at the Polynesian Palace, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Dome, the Hula Hut, and the Waikiki Beachcomber.
Ho and several members of the Aliis returned to the International Market Place in 1981 and recaptured the spirit of the ‘60s with a 1 a.m. “Suck ‘em Up” weekend late show. The reunion ended when Ho moved to the Dome, but reunion concerts with the original five Aliis drew overflow crowds.
Ho had long since achieved iconic status when he appeared as the slum lord villain in the cult film, “Joe’s Apartment,” in 1996. He displayed his sense of humor when he agreed to record “Shock The Monkey” for a nationally released compilation album, “When Pigs Fly,” in 2002. Years before that, however, he recorded a local comedy song, “Who Is The Lolo (Who Stole The Pakalolo).”
Ho received the Sidney Grayson Award (the predecessor to the Hawai ‘i Academy of Recording Arts’ Lifetime Achievement Award) in 1979. His recording of “With All My Love” won the Hoku Award form “Single of the Year in 1989.
Throughout his career, Ho shared his stage with other entertainers and made room in his show for many talented young hopefuls. He shared his knowledge with many others, and provided several with recording opportunities. It became axiomatic that any Hawaii resident who made deprecating comments about Ho didn’t know what they were talking about and was not to be taken seriously.
He returned to the national headlines in 2005 when he announced that he was going to Thailand for a stem-cell treatment. He continued to entertain his fans but cut back his performance schedule.
Ho is survived by his wife Haumea and numerous family members, Jung said. |
Andy |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2007 : 7:20:30 PM
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as a side note, rudi aquino, one of the ali'is, plays regulary at the ka'anapali beach hotel. watching him put on a show gives a small hint of what the ali'is must've been like...
aloha,
keith
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Larry Miller
Akahai
USA
65 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2007 : 04:50:13 AM
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For all that Don Ho may have been considered a purveyor of a commercialized pop music version of Hawaiian music for the tourist trade, he was nevertheless a reasonably decent guy who along the way did his part to further the cause. When I knew him back in the days of Honey's in Kaneohe, he had a great band with both Sonny Chillingworth and Gabby Pahinui. (And Tony B and Gary Aiko)
Gabby, at the time, had been driving a garbage truck down in Waimanalo, and this gig went a long way towards his forming the Sons of Hawaii and a revival of the traditional style of Hawaiian music. It also served as a springboard for Sonny's successful career.
I had a lot of good times at Honey's, and look back on those days with fond memories.
Suck 'em Up!
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Whee ha!
Larry M |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2007 : 07:26:06 AM
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Here is a film from Don Ho's web site that you may be interested in viewing:
http://www.donho.com/video.html |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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kihoalukid
Lokahi
USA
289 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2007 : 07:49:01 AM
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| Thanks Wanda, that brought a tear to my eye, there will never be another Don Ho.Waikiki wont be the same without him. |
Lee |
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Fingerpickin
Lokahi
117 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2007 : 4:27:51 PM
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Smooth Seas and following winds, Don. You will be sorely missed.
-Lance |
"Hey Lance, try watch." -Ozzie |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
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hawaiianmusiclover06
`Olu`olu
USA
562 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2007 : 12:07:57 PM
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Just to imform all of you, I posted something about Don Ho on the Talk Story forum.. I have to say that Mr. Don Ho was surely an icon here in Hawai'i and a legend. He will be surely missed. There will be no one like him especially the way that he sings "Tiny Bubbles" and "I'll remember you."  |
Aloha Kakou, maluhia a me aloha mau loa (Hello everyone, peace and love forever) |
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alika207
Ha`aha`a
USA
1260 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2007 : 09:09:07 AM
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(sings) when Hawaiians fall,
it still hurts us one and all.
Broken hearts from all around,
Crying tears upon the ground.
Those lyrics are so true every time a beloved Hawaiian artist passes away. Don, we will miss you always. Ke akua pu! |
He kehau ho'oma'ema'e ke aloha.
'Alika / Polinahe |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2007 : 3:03:22 PM
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| Went to the Bros. Caz Lei Day show. They did a very touching tribute to Don Ho, then they brought his wife on stage to dance hula to "I'll Remember You". Surprise me to see that someone would have asked her to dance so soon after losing her husband. Well, I don't know if she was overly medicated or had too much alcholic beverages or what, but she stumbled all over the stage and fell down a couple of times and had to be helped off the stage. Thereafter, the mood of the show was not so good. Robert Cazimero was not a happy camper. No hana hou's. It was just so very said. I felt so hurt for her. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
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mike2jb
Lokahi
USA
213 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2007 : 1:47:52 PM
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Sorry to chime in late on this subject, but was in Hawaii for a while with little internet access (and little desire to be messing with computers).
We were fortunate to have a weekend layover in Honolulu before heading to Maui. I had wanted to see the “big city” and hear some music. On the advice of others we made plans and went to Honey’s for a Sunday afternoon show, as I had heard that “special guests” sometimes drop by unannounced. This place is on a golf course overlooking Kane`ohe and seemed very much “off the beaten track” to me. It’s named for Honey Ho, Don’s mother.
Except for the house band, pretty much everyone there was older than me, which is pretty old, and as the afternoon went on it became apparent that everyone there knew each other: somehow we had found probably the only place on the island where we were the only tourists.
As it turned out, it happened to be the day after Don Ho died, and there were so many old folks telling personal stories about him and about how Don had helped many younger musicians get a start, which I did not know. There was also a local radio announcer named Kimo who just returned from emceeing at Merry Monarch, so heard stories from there, as well. One elderly lady had to be helped into the room by two gentlemen supporting her on either side, as she had trouble walking, but within a half hour the crowd had coaxed her up to a chair on the stage where she performed a lovely and truly graceful hula noho, something else I had never seen.
What an afternoon. Learned some history there. Also learned from Auntie at the next table how to sit through four hours of lounge music nursing a single drink: just keep adding ice cubes to your glass of white wine--lasts a long time that way. I’ll remember that one.
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sandman
Lokahi
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2007 : 5:18:56 PM
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Great story, Mike.
Mahalo,
Sandy |
Leap into the boundless and make it your home.
Zhuang-zi |
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