Uncle George sings the beginning as: Aia i Kona ka `aina Aloha, `Aina Poina`ole no makou
Is anyone aware of the differences in lyrics -- which is the "real" one?
The one you hear Uncle George sing is the original. The original has been recorded in its entirety very few times. I will try to find another recording of it for you for reference.
Similarly, nobody sings the original melody to "Kaimana Hila." Nobody. Andy Cummings altered the melody when he recorded with his orchestra in the 1940s and his melody stuck. But the original is very different.
I can't believe you mentioned Uncle George today. A year ago today I was with Uncle George in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress where he received the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. That was a wild and crazy day. Suffice it to say that the day ended typically humorously when the modest Uncle George - overwhelmed with the whole thing - sneaked out of the reception without any of us knowing and radio personality Jacqueline 'Skylark' Rossetti had to accept the award on his behalf.
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Posted - 08/16/2007 : 06:11:24 AM
