Dick Kaihue McIntire (1902–1951) was a

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

-born steel guitarist active in the 1930s and 1940s. During that era, Hawaiian music was quite popular in the U.S. to the extent of being a musical

fad A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...

. McIntire performed on hundreds of recordings with artists such as Bing Crosby,

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, and Lena Machado and was featured in motion picture soundtracks. He was known for his smooth,

legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...

approach to the electric lap steel guitar with his Los Angeles group, ''The Harmony Hawaiians''. His brothers Lani McIntire and Al McIntire were also musicians. According to music historian Andy Volk, Dick McIntire had a profound influence on steel guitar pioneer

Jerry Byrd Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm. He appeared on numerous radio ...

in Byrd's formative years. McIntire was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1982.

Early life

McIntire was born in 1902 in Honolulu. His mother was Hawaiian and his father Irish. His two brothers, Alfred and Lani McIntire, also had musical talent. He served in the U.S. Navy in 1919 on the USS ''Birmingham'' and formed a Hawaiian orchestra while in the Navy with his brother, Lani who served on the same ship. After military service, McIntire lived in

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, Mexico for five years, then moved to California where the three brothers reunited to form an orchestra in 1929. By 1935, Dick began a career in radio with a show on KFSD in San Diego called ''Harmony Isle''.

Career

He opened several teaching studios in southern California, and gave lessons to movie stars of the day including

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included '' Jezebel'' and '' Dark Victo ...

. His orchestra played many upscale venues and, according to historian Lorene Ruymar, "He was one of the best-liked band leaders in hotels and night clubs throughout the nation". McIntire began performing in most of the Hawaiian films at the time. He made over 300 recordings with Bing Crosby,

, and Lena Machado, mostly on the

Decca label Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

. Crosby's "Song of the Islands", "Flowered Isles", Kukuna O Ka La", and "Royal Hawaiian Hotel" showcase McIntyre's perfect tone and intonation on steel guitar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McIntire, Dick Steel guitarists Native Hawaiian musicians 1902 births 1951 deaths Decca Records artists Guitarists from Hawaii Musicians from Honolulu