Kui Lee and Don Ho

I used to listen to and sing along with songs by Kui Lee and Don Ho back when I was a small boy, my pop would play us their records and have us sing along (my dad is from Makaha, Oahu & now lives in Pearl City, HI). I was wondering if there are other Kui Lee & Don Ho fans out there in Tikiland??? SUCK EM' UP!!! E Le Ka Lei Lei!!!

Well, not all the folks here appreciate that genre and some say it isn't 'tiki'. But I also grew up on Don Ho and Kui Lee. In fact, Kui Lee songs touch me very deeply because I know the story of Kui and how he passed away much too young. My grandfather had a house in Nanakuli, so I have some roots on the Leeward side of the island too. Kui Lee was one of the great Hawaiian composers of my generation and although his music wasn't traditional Hawaiian it is a time capsule of that period during the 1960's.

Count me as a fan. To me, Don Ho IS TIKI!

Looking up Kui Lee now...

Oh yeah! Since I have Hawaiian roots, I have some say on what is "Tiki" and what is not. Just like Mid-Century-Modern meshes well with Tiki-culture, music from that era qualifies too, especially if it was played live for people at the lounges that served Tiki cocktails to begin with! :wink:

These are the albums that I remember and now own:

[ Edited by: Lloyd*AloHHHa 2013-03-02 14:59 ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdwLInEvTXo

Thanks lucasvigor.

In watching that, two things happened.

1. I couldn't help but notice how ugly those kids were.
2. I couldn't help but smile at Don & Sam.

Short story about Don Ho. So I host a tiki night once a month here in Pittsburgh, which generally, isn't tiki friendly. So one night, there's a woman in the bar, an older local. She was decked head to toe in sports gear. Well, she was a few sheets to the wind, and was quite angry at the music I was playing. She asked where all the lyrics were. (I was playing exotica and tahittian music.) When I told her that I wouldn't play the beatles, she became very angry for a moment, and then asked if I could play some Don Ho. Well, two songs later, I cued up Tiny Bubbles. And I'll be damned if her mood didn't change. She smiled, danced a little, and sang right along...

Wasn't that clip from the Brady Bunch? I never knew they had a guest appearance on that show???

Kui Lee worked at the Mai-Kai and Yankee Clipper Polynesian Room before heading back to Hawaii and fame. You'll hear more at Hukilau by Tiki Tom D and in my book, shoudl it ever get finished. But, Kui Lee left his mark on the Mai-Kai to this day.

You're SO right about that, Swanky! Mahalo for that, bruddah! :wink:

Don Ho is SO Tiki that they even made him into a mug! :D

Very interesting! I didn't know this either, Swanky! "My research into the history of the Mai-Kai has uncovered that the idea was imagined in 1958 by Assitant Manager Leonce Picot to promote the new Molokai Lounge. The actual carving that was the design of this bowl, was created by the famous songwriter Kui Lee (Don Ho's "I'll Remember You" , etc.). What the Mai-Kai created then has become a signature of the Tiki world and is enjoyed there to this day." (from: http://www.swankpad.org/dada/mail.cgi/archive/SwankPP/20120725170303/ )

All is Aloha and Aloha is all!

[ Edited by: Lloyd*AloHHHa 2013-03-05 22:15 ]

[ Edited by: Lloyd*AloHHHa 2013-03-05 22:37 ]

On 2013-03-05 18:43, LloydAloHHHa wrote:*

Very interesting! I didn't know this either, Swanky! "My research into the history of the Mai-Kai has uncovered that the idea was imagined in 1958 by Assitant Manager Leonce Picot to promote the new Molokai Lounge. The actual carving that was the design of this bowl, was created by the famous songwriter Kui Lee (Don Ho's "I'll Remember You" , etc.). What the Mai-Kai created then has become a signature of the Tiki world and is enjoyed there to this day." (from: http://www.swankpad.org/dada/mail.cgi/archive/SwankPP/20120725170303/ )

[ Edited by: Lloyd*AloHHHa 2013-03-05 22:37 ]

I didn't know that! That's awesome. Thanks for the info Swanky (via Lloyd)!