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Hal Aloma
BornHarold David Alama
(1908-01-08)January 8, 1908 [1]
DiedJune 26, 1980(1980-06-26) (aged 72) [1]
OccupationMusician
NationalityHawaiian

Hal Aloma (January 8, 1908 – June 26, 1980) [2] was a Hawaiian steel guitarist, singer and bandleader.

Biography

Aloma was born on January 8, 1908 [2] in Honolulu [3] as Harold David Alama. [4] He changed his name in the 1930s in response to the movies Bird of Paradise and Aloma of the South Seas. [3] Aloma joined Lani McIntyre's band as steel guitarist. He began his musical career with his brother, Sam Alama at the Alexander Young Hotel and the Moana Hotel. [5] Under his own name, he recorded three sessions for Decca records between February and April 1944. [4] In 1944, when McIntyre left a four-year booking at the Hawaiian Room in New York's Hotel Lexington, Aloma formed his own band and took over the engagement. [6] MGM booked him for two sessions in 1952, resulting in eight sides which were later compiled into an LP album. [4] He first recorded for Columbia Records in August and September 1953, resulting in song appearing not only on U.S. Columbia, but on Japanese Columbia and Philips in the Netherlands. [4] He was featured on the Ed Sullivan Show on June 19, 1960, in a segment in tribute to Hawaii's statehood. [7] When Disney's Polynesian Village Resort opened Aloma was the bandleader. [3] Aloma died on June 26, 1980. [2]

Style

Aloma was accounted as a "typical" traditional Hawaiian singer, although he recorded tracks that were intended to appeal to currently popular tastes. [8] His original band's instrumentation had more in common with the big band of the day than with traditional Hawaiian music. [6] Nevertheless it was accounted to be smooth "island music" even though it also performed current American pop music. [6] In addition to musicians, his touring band also employed young women as hula dancers. [9] Billboard stated that "Hawaiian music at its best is expected" of Aloma, describing his music as authentic and charming. [10] He composed more than 65 songs. [5]

Partial discography

Albums

  • King's Serenade - Decca A-429. (1946) [11]
  • King's Serenade Volume 2 - Decca A-506 (1946) [4]
  • A Musical Portrait of Hawaii - Columbia CL 538. (1950s) [12]
  • Hal Aloma Sings Hawaiian Songs - Dot 3451/25451 (1962) [8]
  • Hawaiian Dreams - Dot 3758/25758 (1966) [10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Hal Aloma". IMDb.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Hal Aloma". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  3. ^ a b c Ruymar, Lorene (1996). The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Anaheim Hills, California: Centerstream Publishing. p. 82. ISBN  1-57424-021-8.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rockwell, T. Malcolm (2007). Hawaiian and Hawaiian Guitar Records: 1891 - 1960. Kula, Hawaii: Mahina Piha Press. p. 33. ISBN  9780615149820.
  5. ^ a b Todaro, Tony. "Hal Aloma". Squareone.org. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Ross, Paul (November 11, 1944). "On the Stand: Hal Aloma". Billboard. p. 18 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Inman, David M. (2005). Television Variety Shows: Histories and Episode Guides to 57 Programs. McFarland. p. 95. ISBN  9781476608778.
  8. ^ a b "Reviews of New Albums". Billboard. August 25, 1962. p. 36 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Imada, Adria L. (2012). Aloha America: Hula Circuits Through the U.S. Empire. Duke University Press. pp. 191, 193. ISBN  9780822352075.
  10. ^ a b "Album Reviews: Special Merit Picks". Billboard. December 10, 1966. p. 46 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Smith, H. Royer (May 1946). "Vocal". The New Records. Vol. 14, no. 3. Philadelphia, Pennsylviania: H. Royer Smith Company – via archive.org.
  12. ^ Phillips, Stacey (2016). The Art of Hawaiian Steel Guitar. Mel Bay Publications. p. 53. ISBN  9781610654753.
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