NATIVE HAWAIIAN ACTOR DON HO BORN
Ho, born in Honolulu of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch & German descent, initially attended Springfield College in Massachusetts but returned home after a year and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from University of Hawaii in 1954. He joined the Air Force and became a fighter pilot, however, after a crash landing, left the Air Force in 1959. Returning to Oahu to run his parents’ cocktail lounge, his father encouraged him to make music to boost business. Ho soon became a popular Hawaiian entertainer, singing and playing an electric Hammond chord organ. In 1962, he earned international recognition headlining at Duke Kahanamoku’s nightclub. In 1965, Reprise Records released the live album The Don Ho Show and, in 1966, Don Ho — Again! His biggest hit was Tiny Bubbles, in 1966. His career included Los Angeles’ Cocoanut Grove, The Tonight Show, and TV cameo appearances on Batman, The Brady Bunch, and other series. Ho died April 14, 2007, in Honolulu.
Source: Dennis McLellan, “Don Ho, 76; singer was best known for 66 hit 'Tiny Bubbles',” Los Angeles Times, 4/15/2007. Retrieved 6/20/2020, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-15-me-ho15-story.html Photo: Kevin Dooley, 8/17/2008. Permissive Use.
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