Euro Exotica

Hawai

Alrededor del mundo
Made in Spain

The three suns y orquesta

Atraves del mundo
Made in Spain

Tane te vahine

Folklore des iles
Made in France

Hawai

The Hawaiian beachcombers
Made in France

Song of the Islands

The Waikikis
Made in Spain

Tahiti

Folklore del mundo
Made in Spain

Aloha Hawaii

Waikiki Beach Boys

Al Goodman

South Pacific

Hawaii

Frank Chacksfield
Made in Spain

Percusion Exotica

Stanley Black
Made in Spain

African Dancing

Roberto Delgado
Made in Spain

Este perro mundo

Ritz Ortolani y Nino Oliviero
Made in Spain

Sleepwalk

Gordon Huntley

The strings sway

The knightsbridge strings

Tropical Nights

The Waikiki Serenaders

Tahiti

Voyages autour du monde

Golden Hawaiian album

On a tropic night

Wout Steenhuis

Blue Hawaii

Hawaiian Paradise

Leo Addeo

Great Hawaiian hits

Leo Addeo

Cuerdas melodicas interpretan musica de hawaii

Solid State

Exotica 1970
Kokee band

Vacaciones en Alta fidelidad

Bongos del sur

Edmundo Ros

More jungle drums

Morton Gould

On 2009-03-09 22:41, Zeta wrote:
Hawaiian Nights

The Waikiki Islanders

If you know something about this bands, please illustrate me!

The Waikiki Islanders are a personal fave of mine.
Their Emi Studio2 records are a must have.
They are not just an assemble of studio musicians like most of the British
Hawaiians bands. Their history goes back to the 30´s.
Basil Henriques, is a caballero, steel guitar Maestro and authority about steel guitar and Hawaiian music.
A whole life dedicated to music and still going strong.
He used to visit this forum sometime ago.

Check their website http://www.waikiki-islanders.com.
There you will find lots of info and great images and enthralling tales about the sadly underrated Euro-Hawaiian music.

Since usted habla español, you can check my humilde Blog too. We often discuss this and other fascinating subjects there. :)

On 2009-03-09 22:41, Zeta wrote:
Hawaiian Nights

The Waikiki Islanders

If you know something about this bands, please illustrate me!

That's one of my EMI albums, we are still performing and are the longest existing Hawaiian Group on record, being formed in 1937.

The..

In 1967

and Now..Wait and see..
See this:-
http://chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=86
http://chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=109

And as I said still performing, see this:-
http://chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=211

On 2009-03-09 22:32, Zeta wrote:
South Sea Island Magic

The Waikiki Beach Boys
Made in the U.K.

Actually a London session band led by Hawaiian Guitarist Syd Gillingham (A student of mine)
Syd was the chief press officer of EMI Records UK during the 60's & 70's
There's a bit about Syd in this story:-
http://chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=86

Basil

On 2009-03-10 04:01, basilh wrote:

On 2009-03-09 22:32, Zeta wrote:
South Sea Island Magic

The Waikiki Beach Boys
Made in the U.K.

Actually a London session band led by Hawaiian Guitarist Syd Gillingham (A student of mine)
Syd was the chief press officer of EMI Records UK during the 60's & 70's
There's a bit about Syd in this story:-
http://chanos-isgf.org/ForumESG/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=86

Basil

I forgot to tell that Mr. Basil Henriques is probably one of the world fastest internauts...

Un abrazo from Spain señor Henriques and thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with us.
Every new data about the uncharted territories of Hawaiian music made in Europe is precious.

Waikiki Islanders´s LP Shadows of Hawaii

Basilh, Thank you soo much for devoting a life to such beautiful music. Also, thank you for sharing pictures and information, please keep doing so. Muchas gracias amigo! Now, I have two questions... Where are those pictures taken? and, have you ever been to any Hawaiano o Polinesio bar in Spain ?
I assume your Euro-exotica and Euro-hawaiian record collection must be huge... Please show us! Gracias again!

Mister Naufrago, you know I read your blog, no need to make excuses like that to shamelessly promote yourself. :roll:

OK Zeta, firstly many thanks to you for the comments. Now secondly, the pictures were taken at the "Castaways" Night Club in Birmingham United Kingdom.

This picture of the Castaways main room was taken from the stage end, and if you can imagine, the balconies extending to the side of the stage and at the end of the balconies 2 LARGE 40 foot palm trees with the bottoms on the back of the stage extension.
Well :-
One evening whilst Mat was singing his finale ‘Born Free’, Dave Allen (Who was appearing just ‘round the corner at the “Talk of the Town”) had hatched a cunning plot and slid down from the balcony on one of the palm trees (Accompanied by a suitable glissando from me) landing directly behind Matt just as he was going to hit the last note.
The fun had only begun..
They huddled together for a couple of seconds planning the next move, Dave jumped up on the beautiful white grand piano (Much to the consternation of the club owner John Reeve) and the launched into a sketch they regularly do together at pantomimes. The Nelson-Hardy routine.
Maybe you’ve seen it but just in case you haven’t, I’ll describe it.
Dave says “Captain, Captain, I see Forty Fousand Froggie French Frigates off the starboard bow”
Nelson (Mat) replies “ Hardy, my good man, Fetch me my Red Velvet Jacket”
Hardy “Why do you want your Red Velvet Jacket ?”
Nelson “So the men won’t see the blood if I’m shot”
Hardy runs off and come back with said jacket.
Hardy “Captain, Captain, I see Forty Fousand Froggie French Frigates off the port bow”
Nelson “ Hardy, my good man, fetch me my Brown Corduroy Trousers”
Mat and Dave were very close friends and often appeared on TV on the same show, being complimentary to each other, Dave as a superb comedian and Mat as “Mat”

We played 6 night a week starting at 8:00 pm and finishing at 2:00am. Before each show at the casino/reception and then moving upstairs to the main ballroom to play after the show. Back downstairs to greet the second show audience and then upstairs to finish the night.
Over the 4 years we were resident at the Castaways we got to meet some of the nicest people in the business, none more ‘down to earth than Mat Monro’ he never forgot that he was once just a London ‘Bus driver.
Some of the other artists that we met at the castaways included :-
Tom Jones
Engelbert Humperdink
Mat Monro
Liberace
P.J. Proby
Sarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine
Cleo Laine & Johnny Dankworth
Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramont Jazz Band
Val Doonican
The Bachelors
Rosemary Squires
Judith Durham
Lynn Rogers
Sandy Shore
Cilla Black
Diana Dors
Dave Allen
Max Bygraves
Tommy Trinder
The Dallas Boys
Jack Hammer
Susan Maughan
Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang
Earl and Vaughan
Los Zafiros
Jean-Jacques Jordane
Malcolm Mitchell
Bob Monkhouse
The Bonzo Dog doo-Dah Band
The Maori Castaways
Mark Wynter
Eve Boswell
Clinton Ford & The Manhattan Brothers
Cy Grant
The Barron Knights
Ken Goodwin
The Jones Boys
The Other Brothers
The Chants
Duke Hazlett
Mikki and Griff
Craig Douglas
Ronnie Carrol
Dennis Lotis
Kathy Kirby
The Temperance Seven
.....................................................
The Group at the Castaways

The newspaper adverts for the shows can be found here :- http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets/cuttings/

Just looking at the clippings I notice that Liberace is 4gns including 'Dinner'
and the Waikiki Islanders for Christmas lunch was 4gns
And we didn't have 'Brother George' to feed.. !!

4gns (Guineas = 21 shillings or £1.1s 0d) in 1964 would be at least£50 now !!.
I know why the Liberace show was sold out, but on Christmas Day we had a full house also..

The only reason it's not still going is that someone absconded with half a million of the profits and let the company go bust.. such a pity we would be just eligible for a nice retirement pension now !!

OOPS I forgot to answer your question about playing in Spain, no, we never played in Spain, but we may sometime soon as we are branching out into Europe generally what with the Lei of Emeralds Show, the Tong Tong Fair and The Chanos International Steel Guitar Convention in September,

Of course we all know that Chanos- Curson is a picturesque village nestling among the Crozes-Hermitage vineyards which mark the commencement of the Rhône plain. It is situated between the foothills of the Alps to the east and the hills of the Ardèche to the west. Stunning views in every direction combine with a wonderful climate, world renowned wines and exciting local cuisine to make Chanos the ideal place to hold an International Steel Guitar Festival. And all of this is just 5 minutes from the Tain l’Hermitage turn off from the A7 autoroute.

The RHONE valley !! where some of the world's most respected wines and grape originate.. Pat and I will be touring the area from the 17th to the 25th just sightseeing and sampling the local cuisine etc.. Along with our friends, Rod & Rosemary, Digby and Chantal etc..and hopefully making a few new ones..

Methinks our friend below has had just a smidgen too much Châteauneuf-du-Pape !
Of course there are those who hate the pedal steel "that much", I'll be doing what I can to redress the balance and demonstrate it's place in Hawaiian Style playing, a la Jules Ah See, Billy Hew Len, Danny Stewart, the Tavares Bros. etc. I'll also be playing my Emmons over at the Country Venue

We were asked how we started so not wishing to "Hi-Jack" your thread but to reply, (I never was much for abbreviating ANYTHING)

I contracted Polio in the 1949 epidemic and was in an Iron Lung 'till I was 10, one years schooling and asthma prevented any more school, I got a £5 acoustic guitar but my Mother didn't want me to join a "Skiffle Group" or a "Rock & Roll Band" so she started up a Hawaiian group (Blue Hawaiians)and I learned rhythm guitar.

The Blue Hawaiians Played resident at The Viking in Hob's Moate every Sunday and the rest of the week at the Hawaiian Room Berkswell. The Original Hawaiian Guitarist was Albert Green from Ward End, he was replaced by a talented player Bill Cox. His daughter Pat played Ukulele and also joined the group, we fell in love (Pat and I that is)

Later that year poor Bill Cox had departed this world stuck down at 49 years of age with a disease now curable (Acute Angina) I vowed to look after his daughter and continue with HIS group's name "The Waikiki Islanders" I built a Hawaiian Guitar and with what Bill had showed me started to learn to play.

The Guitar I Made 1961, The pickups were the prototype of the design that John Birch and myself developed in 1967.

My Mother retired and married again (she's on her 5th now) and Pat and I started looking for gigs. there's MUCH more to the story but that's for later.

Torquay 1963

Pat Henriques

My Sister Barbara

The group at Ashton Court Country Club Bristol 1964

Bill Cox, Archie Cox and the original Waikiki Islanders 1937

Thank you for share your personal archives.
Those photos and remembrances are great.

I would like to ask you about the Hawaiian Islanders. I´m having a hard time trying to find info about them.
I think they were from Birmingham too (great Hawaiian music tradition there ,it seems).
I´m not sure if Tiger Shark, a favorite among their recordings, is their own composition.

Muchos mahalos Basil!
Please tell us more!

OK Zeta, the previous post by Mister Naufrago asks about "Tiger Shark" the TUNE (NOTE that I said TUNE) Written by Peter and Joe Hodgkinson (Brothers)
Well, Birmingham was the centre of Hawaiian groups in the 30's, 40's 59's and 60's. There were at least half a dozen working groups at any point in time.
The Waikiki Islanders led by the "Cox" Brothers William and Archie, AND the Hawaiian Islanders Led by Joe on Ukulele and the eldest brother Peter on plectrum guitar (the terminology at the time for a regular six string guitar)
Joe still comes to some of our conventions !!

A MOST interesting fact is that Tiger Shark was quite a big hit in Finland, as a SONG...

Recorded in Finland by Juha Eirto

Tiger Shark - Tiikerihai
CLICK HERE

Juha Eirto was a popular singer in the 50's. He had a classical training in singing (his father was an opera singer) and this clearly had impact on his popular music recordings. His most famous song is "Tiikerihai" (Tiger shark), recorded in 1955. It is one of the ultimate classics of Finnish popular music. And again - like the other 50's classic "Kuningaskobra" (see previous entry) this isn't actually a love song .... The original was an instrumental record called "Tiger Shark" and recorded in the 30's by a group called Hawaiian Islanders. In spite of the name, the group wasn't from Hawaii, but from Birmingham, England! This steel guitar group included brothers Hodgkinson led by Peter, the eldest brother. Peter was also the composer of "Tiger Shark". I'm not aware of any other vocal versions of this tune, but perhaps those exist ...

The original version

Can our Finnish friends let us know of any other versions ?

by "Max Laine" (Member of the European Steel Guitar Hall of Fame Committee)....Tiger Shark was very popular in Finland - and still is very well known. Felix Mendelssohns recording from 1948 was a hit here, it stayed on the lists for several months. The first Finnish versions were recorded by Juha Eirto and Olavi Virta, both in 1955, here's the latter:

CLICK

Onni gideon recorded an instrumental version in 1956:

CLICK

After that there has been, well quite a few versions of Tiikerihai, 31 in all. It has been recorded in many styles, sometimes the lyrics changed and twisted - well what do you think of a version titled "Siiderihai" (Cider Shark)!!!

By the way Basil, the version you sent is not the original version, it's the second version from 1938. Peter Hodgkinson recorded the first version (on acoustic guitar) in 1935...

The Hawaiian Islanders Broadcast many time for the BBC,

They played on on a radio play: Friday 16th October 1936 at 7.30pm, there was Hawaiian Rhapsody, musical play for radio by Annette Mills (brother of actor John Mills, and future presenter of Muffin the Mule). Archie Campbell produced, and the cast included Marjorie Westbury, John Bentley, Denis Folwell, Hugh Morton, Jane Minton, Barbara Helliwell and the Hawaiian Islanders, directed by Peter Hodgkinson.

Just as a bit of interesting info: Marjorie Westbury's first broadcasts for the BBC were given on the Birmingham-based Midland Regional programme. Her very first appears to have been at midday on Wednesday 7th December 1932. She sang with Harold Howes (baritone), Norman King (tenor), Muriel Tookey (violin) and J. William Dunn (piano). (That evening at 11pm the BBC were transmitting a television programme by the Baird process, featuring Alice Delysia, John Tilley and Laurie Devine.)

TELEVISION broadcasts in 1932 !!

[ Edited by: basilh 2009-03-19 02:58 ]

[ Edited by: basilh 2014-05-19 19:06 ]

[ Edited by: basilh 2014-05-19 19:08 ]

More, (Well you DID ask)
"This well is deep!!

Here's Eija Merilä's version from 1966:

CLICK

Felix with one of his girls "Louisa Reyes" (passed away last year.)

And ANOTHER of his Girl Hawaiian Guitarists Cynthia Reed

This instrument has been tested and found correct ? A Swanee Product, presumably without the proverbial paddle !

And here's ANOTHER version of the tune Click Here (The Tahitis)

And ANOTHER The Blue Hawaiians

The Blue Hawaiians in 1962 Basil Henriques, Peggy Henriques, Ken Thomas, and Gerard Henriques.

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2014-05-19 18:52 ]

[ Edited by: basilh 2014-05-19 18:59 ]

Another bucketfull !! (From the Well)

This is Pat Henriques' Waikiki Islanders in 1976 (I was away) Click to play

The tune when played LIVE as an instrumental is usually a feature and is played with dynamics, the various sections representing a Tiger Shark stalking its prey.

The strange thing about this classic instrumental/song is that in the USA and Hawaii not only do they not play it but most don't even know of its existence even though its been one of the most popular parts of European Hawaiian groups repertoire since 1935 .. some 78 years ..

The "Well: is now dry (On this subject)

The lyrics in Finnish:

Steelies do it without fretting !

[ Edited by: basilh 2009-03-19 02:30 ]

[ Edited by: basilh 2014-05-19 18:49 ]

Wow and double wow! Great history and visual material! Mahalo!

Double wow indeed. :o
Thanks a lot.

On 2009-03-19 16:47, bigbrotiki wrote:
Wow and double wow! Great history and visual material! Mahalo!

Basil - I’m a fan, I hope you know that.

Great historical info Basil, thanks for posting!!! :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Thanks lads, Kawentzmann, I do know now... what's the significance of your name ?

On 2009-03-21 08:44, basilh wrote:
... what's the significance of your name ?

In the movie Sunny Boys one guy (I think it was Walter Matthau) said: “Words with K are funny.”
In northern Germany and sailor language a Kawentzmann is a large wave.
Being pretty illiterate about Hawai’ian culture at the time (1995) I always thought a Kahuna was an aristocrat allowed to surf the long olo board, actually an Alii. My misconception must have come from frequent use of the Kahuna title in popular surf culture of the 1950s and 60s.
So I have Hawaii, Germany and the sea in my name, which also read pretty unique. I was in surf band and DJ’ed Exotica records so I the name fit.

Aloha Kawentzmann! It would be nice if you show us your Euro exotica collection... Please?

Translation needed.

???

Mucha muchacha!
Made in Germany, I think.

Tamoure is here!

Tamoure is welcome too!

Made in Cuba.