Tiki Central / Tiki Music / Honolulu Rock-A Roll-A (aka the Hulabilly Thread ??)
Post #650376 by Bruddah Bear on Sat, Sep 1, 2012 4:30 AM
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Bruddah Bear
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Sat, Sep 1, 2012 4:30 AM
Right, just so everybody is clear...
Not just yes, but, Hell yes! I have copies or at least know of a number of Country, Western/Cowboy, Hillbilly artists that recorded Hawaiian style music as well as other types of specialty numbers. When JOHN-O bumped this thread with the news that next year's TO would have a Hulabilly theme, I started to compile a list with links to online versions of all the Country Early Rock & Roll songs I know that have a South Seas/Hawaiian theme, etc. Unfortunately, not all the songs are online other than maybe short snippets on Amazon, I couldn't find songs like Shorty Long's "Let's All Go To Hawaii" or "South Sea Island Tears," "Hawaiian Honeymoon" by either Hank Penny or the Tune Wranglers, "Sweet Hawaii" by Laurel & Miles, nor Jimmy Newman's "Dreamland Island." Some of the songs I was planning on, JOHN-O beat me to it, on "Hillbilly Hula," "Hula Boogie," "Hawaiian Boogie," " Bop-A-Hula," "Me-Rock-A-Hula," and "Hawaiian Rock & Roll" anyway. What follows is a list of some that haven't been mentioned yet. Some are either Western/Country artists singing/playing strictly Hapa Haole music, others are Hawaiian/Exotically themed songs by Western/Country artists, and some others could definately be classified as Hulabilly. I've even thrown in some just for fun stuff that isn't necessarily Hillbilly/Country/Western or Hulabilly/Rockabilly, some Rock & Roll with steel guitar by artists trained in Hawaiian steel guitar techniques and did record some Hawaiian music. And away we go... Other than the song "Hillbilly Hula" that JOHN-O posted earlier, Jenks "Tex" Carman also had... Gene Autry... Paradise In The Moonlight I have an mp3 of Gene singing a nice rendition of "Blue Hawaii," but couldn't find an online version of it. Hawaiian Lullaby I also have mp3s of Sons Of The Pioneers singing "Blue Hawaii" and "Stars Above Hawaii." Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys... Hawaiian War Chant I couldn't find "'Neath Hawaiian Palms" though. Cowboy Copas... Filipino Baby This song was recorded by a number of Country artists in the 40s including Ernest Tubb, T. Texas Tyler, and Texas Jim Robertson. Hank Locklin recorded another song in this vein called "Geisha Girl" which was answered by female Country singer Skeeter Davis with a song called "Lost To A Geisha Girl." Yes, "Filipino Baby" and "My Filipino Rose" (listed below) are songs about girls from the Philippines, and Locklin's and Davis' songs are about Japanese and not Polynesian island girls, so why are they included here? Because at the time (following WW2 and the Korean Conflict) with so many young servicemen stationed all over the globe, and some returning home with foreign brides, they were just considered to be in a theme of American boys falling for exotic girls in foreign lands. Distinguishing between the nationalities of the women in these types of songs wasn't as important then as we may consider it to be now. The foreign/exotic origins of the women were on an equal level in these songs. Polynesian, Philippine, or Japanese it was all the same. Some may feel they fit in with the other Hawaiian themed Country tunes, the more purist individual's opinion may differ. I only offer them here to acknowlege their existance in the context of Country artists recording songs of non-Country/Western themes, not to say they are Hulabilly or Tiki. Plus it enabled me to mention the practice of the "answer song." :D With that said... Sven may enjoy this tune by Bobby Helms. Hank Locklin (bio above) also recorded this song. And yet another answer song was made by Kitty Wells. Hank Snow... My Filipino Rose Ernest Tubb also recorded this song in 1949. On That Old Hawaiian Shore With You Hula Love (first song) and Buddy Knox's more Rockabilly version of this song recorded in the 50s. Judging by some of the images JOHN-O has posted in the Exotic Women thread, he may appreciate this song about an exotic woman. Not Hawaiian or Hulabilly, but it really moves. Hank Snow & Anita Carter... Johnnie & Jack (see also Kitty Wells bio)... Hootchy Kootchy Henry From Hawaii Hank Locklin... Chuck Miller... Elvis (I'm not posting his bio. If you don't know who he was, you must live under a rock)... Jerry Lee Lewis (You need to get out from under that rock)... I'll Sail My Ship Alone Well, it's a nautical theme, which is used as a metaphor, but it still rocks. Chuck Berry (Seriously, under a rock is no place to live)... The Royal Drifters Rock & Roll group from Hawaii... Angeline and Hawaii's Teen Towners (No bio found)... He wasn't a country boy (hillbilly), so technically doesn't fit the original definition of Rockabilly, "Rock & Roll sung by Country/Hillbilly artists," but the song jumps and I think some would say that this is at least Rockabilly, can the beach party theme qualify it as Hulabilly? Bob Jaxon... No discussion of steel guitar and Hawaiian influences in Rock & Roll songs would be complete without a mention of Santo & Johnny Farina. Many of their recorded songs are covers of other artist's hits or popular music of the time, but they did write some of their own tunes, and quite a lot of their music is slower ballads rather than uptempo. Sleep Walk (live TV appearance) Tear Drop My personal favorite. All of the above songs were composed by Santo and Johnny. And as mentioned before, they were taught Hawaiian steel guitar music and techniques, and recorded Hawaiian themed music. Hawaii (side1) Tracks are; 1. Adventures In Paradise / 2. Blue Hawaii / 3. Pineapple Princess / 4. Sea Shells / 5. Aloha / 6. Reflections Hawaii (side 2) Tracks are; 1. Hawaiian War Chant / 2. Song Of The Islands / 3. Sweet Lelani / 4. Hawaiian Wedding Song / 5. Isle Of Dreams / 6. Now Is The Hour Since they would fall under Jungle Style rather than Tiki, I'm sure I'd get cyber-lynched if I dared even bring up Hank Thompson's song Rockin' In The Congo, or Hank Mizell's song Jungle Rock. Ooops... :o Bear *Edit - "There are but three "L"s in "Hulabilly," two "L"s be not enough, yet four be too many, yea verily I say unto you that the numbering of the "L"s shall be three, three in total, do not suffer an over abundance of "L"s, neither condone the scarcity of two, a trinity of "L"s is all that is ordered, so sayeth the Bear." [ Edited by: Brudda Bear 2012-09-17 20:55 ] |