FEBRUARY 2, 1923

HALELOKE KAHAUOLOPUA BORN– NATIVE HAWAIIAN ALTO SINGER

Born in Hilo, Hawaii, into a musical family, Haleloke sang in glee clubs in high school.  Her musical career began as a featured vocalist on the radio show Hawaii Calls, from 1945 to 1950.  Kahauolopua then came to the attention of Arthur Godfrey who brought her to New York where she appeared frequently on his shows, dancing the hula as well as singing.  In contrast to the typical Hawaiian “ha’i” (falsetto) voice use by many Hawaiian singers of the time, Kahauolopua sang in an alto.  She cut a number of records, usually accompanied by Godfrey and his ukelele and the Archie Bleyer Orchestra, and sometimes by The Mariners vocal group.  She was the only Hawaiian musician on her album Hawaiian Blossoms.  In April 1955, Godfrey, who became infamous for peremptorily firing employees, fired Kahauolopua (along with Marion Marlowe, The Mariners, and three writers).  Kahauolopua then retired from show business to Union City, Indiana, where she remained until her death on December 16, 2004.

Sources:  “Haleloke Kahauolopua," Libsyn, February 3, 2013.  Retrieved December 12, 2019, https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/hwnmusiclives/id/2205668.
Tim Brooks, Earle F. Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present, (Ballantine Books, 1994), p. 81. Retrieved 12/12/2019, https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA81#v=onepage&q&f=false 
Photo:  Author unknown, likely early 1950s.   Fair Use.