Edward Kamanaloha Kenney, Jr. (August 8, 1933 – October 5, 2018) was an American singer and actor from Hawaii best known for the role of "Wang Ta" in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of ''

Flower Drum Song ''Flower Drum Song'' was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, '' The Flower Drum Song'', by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the ...

.'' In retirement, he lived on the island of Kaua‘i and occasionally made public appearances.

Family

Born in

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 ...

on Oahu to a Hawaiian-Chinese mother and a Swedish-Irish father. He married Judy Bailey and lived on Kauai. Kenney was married to hula dancer Beverly Noa and was the father of

restaurateur, Edward Kenney, III. Kenney and Noa headlined shows at the

Royal Hawaiian Hotel The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is a beachfront luxury hotel located in Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. It is part of The Luxury Collection brand of Marriott International. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal ...

and the Halekulani Hotel for years. They reunited for a Honolulu television show on KGMB-TV in the 1980s.

Stage credits

Broadway

* ''

13 Daughters ''13 Daughters'' was a short-lived Broadway musical with book, music and lyrics by Eaton Magoon, Jr, starring Don Ameche. It played for 28 performances in 1961. The story was influenced by the life of Magoon's great-grandparents Chun Afong and his ...

'' as Mana, Prince of Hawai‘i (1961) * ''

'' as Wang Ta (1958–1960) * ''

Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ...

'' as Rimshi (1956)

Honolulu Community Theater

* Principal "Ali Baba" role during late 1960s in large hit production of ''Kismet'' musical. *Various other productions (1950s and after)

University of Oregon

* ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...

President William McKinley High School Theater

* ''13 Daughters'' as ''Chun'' (late 1980s)

Hawaii Theatre

* ''13 Daughters'' as ''Kahuna'' (early 1990s)

Discography

Albums

Solo

* ''Exotic Sounds of the Spice Island'' ( Columbia, 1960) * ''My Hawai‘i'' (Columbia, 1962) (later reissued with a different cover on a Columbia budget label, Harmony) * ''Ed Kenney's Hawaii'' ( ABC/Paramount, 1962) (later reissued with a different cover by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

, 196?) * ''Somewhere in Hawai‘i'' (Waikiki, 1964) * ''Waikiki'' (Decca, 1966) * ''Royal Hawaiian Luau'' (Decca, 1967) * ''An Island'' (Lehua, 1977)

Included

* ''Hawaii's Favorite Christmas Songs – Vol 2'' (1999) * ''Hawaii's Sunset Melodies'' (1996) * ''Hawaii's Golden Treasures'' (1996) * ''Hawaii's Favorite Christmas Songs'' (1993) * ''Flower Drum Song: 1958 Original Broadway Cast'' (1958)

Singles

* "Numbah One Day of Christmas" the

Hawaiian Pidgin Hawaiian Pidgin (alternately, Hawaiʻi Creole English or HCE, known locally as Pidgin) is an English-based creole language spoken in Hawaiʻi. An estimated 600,000 residents of Hawaii speak Hawaiian Pidgin natively and 400,000 speak it as a se ...

version of ''

The Twelve Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...

'' Co-wrote this with Eaton "Bob" Magoon, Jr.'Eaton Magoon, Jr.'
'' Playbill''. (New York City). (''13 Daughters'' composer) and Gordon Phelps.

References

External links

* *
Liner notes from ''My Hawaii'' album
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, Ed 1933 births 2018 deaths Musicians from Honolulu American male musical theatre actors Nightclub performers American people of Chinese descent American people of Swedish descent American people of Irish descent