Lani McIntire (sometimes spelled Lani McIntyre, 15 December 1904 – 17 June 1951) was a

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

an guitar and steel guitar player who helped to popularize the instrument, which eventually became a mainstay in American

country and western music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...

. He played frequently with his brothers — steel guitar legend Dick McIntire and bassist Al McIntire.

Lani McIntyre and his Aloha Islanders

McIntire achieved fame playing with Sol Hoʻopiʻi in his "Novelty Trio" before heading his own acts, "Lani McIntyre and his Aloha Islanders" and later, "Lani McIntyre and his Hawai'ians." His work with

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

pioneered the Hawaiian guitar sound that laid the foundation for the steel guitar as a standard country instrument, influencing the likes of Hank Williams and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. As leader, McIntyre released dozens of records between 1935 and 1950, for the American Record Corporation (1935),

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 ...

(1937-1942),

Sonora Records Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

(1944 - 1945), MGM Records (1950), and Columbia Records (1950).

Death

On June 17, 1951, McIntire died of a heart attack during his sleep in his apartment in the Elmwood Hotel, 110 West Forty-Ninth Street, New York, New York. His wife, Helen, was with him.

Academy Award

McIntire and his Hawai'ians also worked with Bing Crosby on the original version of " Blue Hawaii" as well as "

Sweet Leilani "Sweet Leilani" is a song featured in the 1937 film, ''Waikiki Wedding''. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Bing Crosby's record became one of the biggest hits of 1937. Harry Owens wrote the song on October 20, 1934 for his daugh ...

," which was popularized in the 1937 film ''

Waikiki Wedding ''Waikiki Wedding'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, and Shirley Ross. Crosby plays the part of Tony Marvin, a PR man charged with extolling the virtues of the Territory ...

'' and won an

Academy Award for Best Song An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

in the

10th Academy Awards The 10th Academy Awards were held on March 10, 1938 to honor films released in 1937, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California and hosted by Bob Burns. Originally scheduled for March 3, 1938, the ceremony was postponed due to the Los A ...

(over

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

and Ira Gershwin's "

They Can't Take That Away From Me "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film ''Shall We Dance'' and gained huge success. Overview The song is performed b ...

"). The band had a recording contract with Decca Records at that time. McIntire appeared in the films ''You're the One Rose'' (1943), ''Maui Chant'' (1943), ''Paradise Isle'' (1943) and ''Dreams of Old Hawaii'' (1944)."Lani McIntyre,"

IMDB IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

. Retrieved 1 April 2007.

References

1904 births 1951 deaths Steel guitarists Decca Records artists MGM Records artists Columbia Records artists 20th-century American guitarists {{US-guitarist-stub

Lani McIntyre and his Aloha Islanders

Death

Academy Award

See also

References