October 31, 1991(1991-10-31) (aged 66) Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Occupation(s)
Operatic tenor/baritone
Instrument(s)
Piano, cello, pipe organ
Years active
1940–1991
Labels
Bishop Corporation Colpix Columbia Masterworks Decca Hana Hou Everest Hula Lehua Royal Sunset World Record Club
Musical artist
Charles Keonaonalaulani Llewellyn Davis (September 17, 1925 – October 31, 1991) was a Native Hawaiian opera singer and musician. He was a child prodigy, raised on a sugar cane plantation, and a direct descendant of
John Papa ʻĪʻī, personal attendant to
Lunalilo. Trained as an opera singer, he vocalized in both tenor and baritone ranges. He and actor
James Shigeta briefly toured as a nightclub act. Versatile with a variety of vocal forms, and a multi-linguist, he sang the music of
Cole Porter at the
Hollywood Bowl, and presented a concert in honor of
Kamehameha Day at
Carnegie Hall. Davis performed with the
Opera Company of Boston during a
White House engagement, and was a nightclub performer in Hawaii. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, and was inducted into the
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
Background
Davis was born in 1925 in Honolulu,
Territory of Hawaii, of mixed heritage that included Native Hawaiian. His father, Arthur Lewis Davis, was the resident physician on
Waialua Sugar Plantation, where he and his brother Francis were raised.[1] His mother, Rose Kaouinuiokalani Davis, was the daughter of
Irene ʻĪʻī, whose father
John Papa ʻĪʻī was a personal attendant and political advisor to Hawaiian royalty.[2] Territorial legislator
Francis Hyde I'i Brown was his uncle.[3]
His mother tutored him in the
Hawaiian language. Music was ever-present in their home. Rose Davis was known for hosting expansive
luaus that drew hundreds of guests, among whom were that era's popular Hawaiian entertainers. He would later reminisce about his youth when his father's patients would pay visits during the Christmas season and fill their home with singing. He attributed much of his later repertoire to a songbook once owned by Queen
Liliʻuokalani's musical protégée
Rose Tribe.[4][5]Robert Cazimero described Davis' personal character as, "Charlie's from that time when people were kinder, gentler – who believed in the aloha spirit and shared everything with everyone."[6]
In between tours, Davis resumed voice training in New York. In 1958, he became one of the finalists in the
Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air.[14] As a result, the Met's General Manager
Rudolf Bing offered him a tour of Europe, but a prior commitment at the
Royal Hawaiian Hotel in
Waikiki precluded his acceptance, and Bing's offer was dropped. The Waikiki engagement resulted in his first record album, Ray Kinney Presents Charles K. L. Davis At The Royal Hawaiian.[15][16] The following year, Davis joined television host
Ed Sullivan's ensemble for two weeks at
Gorky Park in Russia.[17]
His father died in 1965. Davis returned home permanently in 1968 to care for his mother. Honolulu Mayor
Neal Blaisdell declared January 19, 1968 as "Charles K.L. Davis Day in Honolulu".[22] His mother died in 1972.[23]
Davis moved away from opera performances and began to entertain in local clubs, such as the Waikiki venues of the
Rhumba Line and the
Halekulani, as well as numerous appearances on the Hawaii Calls radio broadcasts.[24] At the Kemoo Farms restaurant in
Wahiawa, Davis maintained a 13-year twice-weekly performance schedule during the buffet luncheons.[25]
His brother Francis died in 1989.[1] In the remaining years of his life, Davis suffered from
diabetes, frequently requiring hospitalization. When he died on October 31, 1991,
Don Ho reminisced, "He was probably the nicest guy you'd meet in the business. I never heard anybody say anything bad about him."[26]
Awards and legacy
1983 – Radio station
KCCN and
Bank of Hawaii featured Davis on the Heritage Series program showcasing entertainers who contributions were fundamental to Hawaiian music.[27]