Alfred Apaka

Alfred Aloha Apaka (1919 — 1960) was among the important performers in the annals of Hawaii’s well-known music. Although he documented for under ten years, Apaka arranged the requirements for contemporary Hawaiian music along with his joyful, baritone vocals and extremely entertaining shows. In his publication, Hawaiian Music and Music artists, George Kanahele published that Apaka was “the possessor of 1 of the very most amazing voices to emerge from Hawaii. An all natural, untrained, tone of voice, it was solid, masculine and agile…..a delicate device that could range between B smooth to E in pianissimo.” Apaka inherited his musical abilities from his great aunt, Lydia Ahola, the child of Queen Lilioukalani. Within an interview using the Honolulu Sunlight Bulletin, Apaka’s child, Jeff, who also became an entertainer, stated, “I love to believe that Dad’s musical teaching came in a primary line from your queen.” Through the ’40s, Apaka performed with many orchestras including Don McDiamond’s Royal Hawaiian Resort house music group and Ray Kenney’s music group in NY. Overheard by Bob Wish while singing in a luau in Honolulu, Apaka became a normal visitor on Hope’s radio and tv shows. Although many expected that he’d become a effective mainstream vocalist, Apaka required a different path when he persuaded multimillionaire Henry Kaiser to create a resort, The Hawaiian Town, that included a showroom where he starred in his personal luxurious revue. Apaka’s dynamic performances soon produced the resort an essential visitor appeal, and his recognition continued to develop. Plans for any nationally broadcast tv special had been finalized in Feb 1960. Several days later, nevertheless, Apaka experienced a fatal coronary attack while playing handball. Carrying out a extremely publicized funeral, Apaka was buried having a microphone put into his hands before his casket was shut. An recording of “dropped recordings” (documented between 1945 and 1949), Shed Recordings of Hawaii’s Golden Tone of voice, released in 1999, received the exclusive Na Hoku Hanohano award.