Canard
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Ben Hokea is a guy I had never heard of before. I pulled an early 1920s 78 out of a box and there he was.
Hokea, as I have since discovered, is sometimes regarded as the first superstar of the Hawaiian guitar. He was born in Hawaii in 1898. He music career was based in Canada, although he toured and recorded outside of Canada. It is thought he came to Canada 1915 as an entertainer on a steam ship, and then he just decided to stay. He died in 1971.
The guy is great. I am reasonably certain his disks have crossed Ry Cooder's turntable from time to time.
Hula Jazz from 1920
The 78 I have has these two tracks:
www.bac-lac.gc.ca
www.bac-lac.gc.ca
In one of the bands Hokea was in, there was a guy who was also a photographer and who recorded the band with an early silent movie camera while they were on tour in Ontario in the 1920s. The staged madcap antics of the band are much like those performed in 60s Rock Group movies--such as those by The Beatles, The Spenser Davis Group, The Dave Clark 5, et al. Hey ... musicians, eh?
A downloadable archive of Hokea's recordings is here:
www.bac-lac.gc.ca
Hokea, as I have since discovered, is sometimes regarded as the first superstar of the Hawaiian guitar. He was born in Hawaii in 1898. He music career was based in Canada, although he toured and recorded outside of Canada. It is thought he came to Canada 1915 as an entertainer on a steam ship, and then he just decided to stay. He died in 1971.
The guy is great. I am reasonably certain his disks have crossed Ry Cooder's turntable from time to time.
Hula Jazz from 1920
The 78 I have has these two tracks:
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
In one of the bands Hokea was in, there was a guy who was also a photographer and who recorded the band with an early silent movie camera while they were on tour in Ontario in the 1920s. The staged madcap antics of the band are much like those performed in 60s Rock Group movies--such as those by The Beatles, The Spenser Davis Group, The Dave Clark 5, et al. Hey ... musicians, eh?
A downloadable archive of Hokea's recordings is here:
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
Search - Virtual Gramophone - Library and Archives Canada
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