Wilfred Nalani "Moe" Keale (December 3, 1939 – April 15, 2002) was an American musician of

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...

, a

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

virtuoso, and an

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He was the uncle and major musical influence of

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (; meaning 'the fearless eye, the bold face'; May 20, 1959June 26, 1997), also called Bruddah Iz or just simply IZ, was a Hawaiian musician, singer, songwriter, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist. He achieved ...

. He died from a heart attack on 15 April 2002, aged 62.

Early life

He was one of the few persons born in the 20th century to have full Hawaiian ancestry. His father was a

kahuna ''Kahuna'' is a Hawaiian language, Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A ''kahuna'' may be ver ...

. Moe Keale was born on the island of

Niihau Niihau ( Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. It is southwest of Kauaʻi across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is . Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland hab ...

, but raised on

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. He was shaped by the ancestral customs and values of his birthplace, learning to play the ukulele at the age of four. Conversations in his Niihau family home were in Hawaiian, and songs were passed from generation to generation. He would later fondly recall his summers on Niihau, where stress was not part of the lifestyle. "I figured that heaven must be something like Niihau," he said.

Career

A native of

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 stat ...

, he primarily had roles in movies and TV series that took place in the islands, including many appearances on ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'', where he had a recurring part as Truck Kealoha in the show's final season. He also appeared as Officer O'Shaughnessy in the Hawaiian-based

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

, ''

The Brian Keith Show ''The Brian Keith Show'' (titled ''The Little People'' during its first season) is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974. The series stars Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares. Synopsis Keith plays Dr. Sean Jamison, ...

''. He was a beachboy, musician and singer, part-time electrician, and radio deejay, as well as an actor. His first paid musical gig with his group the Four K's was at the Waikiki Tavern circa 1958, followed by the Tropical Club in

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

. In 1964, he worked with the Puka Puka Otea Tahitian Show at Queen's Surf. He was recruited for a New York city gig when he was seen at a beach doing high dives off a simulated waterfall. His most noted role as Truck on ''Hawaii Five-O'' came as a result of his working as an electrician on the set. Keale and

Eddie Kamae Edward Leilani "Eddie" Kamae (August 4, 1927 – January 7, 2017) was one of the founding members of Sons of Hawaii. He was a 'ukulele virtuoso, singer, composer, film producer and primary proponent of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance. Bio ...

struck up a musical partnership that led to Moe becoming part of the

Sons of Hawaii The Sons of Hawaii was a Hawaiian musical group that became popular among mainstream audiences from the 1960s through the 1990s. History In 1960 they opened at the Sandbox in Honolulu and were soon the highest-paid Hawaiian group in the Islands. I ...

in 1969, and he remained with the group until 1977. He then went on to make three solo albums ''South Sea Island Magic'', ''Aloha Is A Part of Me, A Part of You'', and ''Imagine''. He was a deejay on KCCN in the 1980s. From 1984 onward, he and his band played two evenings a week poolside at the

Sheraton Waikiki The Sheraton Waikiki Hotel is a resort hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii on Waikiki Beach. It was built in 1971 and is currently owned by Kyo-Ya Management Company, Ltd. and operated by Marriott International. The hotel was featured in The Brady Bunch se ...

. At the time of his death, he was a hands-on co-owner of the Lomi Shop’s Keiki Wa‘a at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa at Windward Mall. The Lomi Shop promoted the art of healing through

lomilomi massage Lomilomi massage is a Polynesian method of kneading massage, but with overtones of the indigenous religious beliefs. The word ''lomilomi'' comes from the Hawaiian and Samoan languages. Lomi means "to knead.” The smooth flow of the strokes mim ...

. Moe had a near-fatal heart attack in April 2001 and received a pacemaker implant. He used his extension on life to raise $260,000 for the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

, in order to have portable defibrillators strategically positioned throughout the state of Hawaii. He died on 15 April 2002 from a heart attack, aged 62.

Recognition

In 2003, the

Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts 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 ...

instituted the Moe Keale "Aloha Is" Award in its

Na Hoku Hanohano Awards The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

. Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts

Discography

*''Hawaii's Treasure: Uncle Moe Keale Live in Waikiki'' CD 0888 (Booklines) *''South Sea Island Magic'' (2000) CD 2059 (Mountain Apple) *''Imagine'' (1996) CD 1005 (Ord) *''Aloha Is a Part of Me'' (1995) CD 6426 (Surfside)

Filmography

*''

Picture Bride The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers (chiefly Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean) in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil selecting brides from their nat ...

'' (1994)

Film and Television work

*''

'' (1972, TV Series) - Officer O'Shaugnessy *''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the United ...

'' (1976, TV Series) - Davis' Thug *''Danger in Paradise'' (1977, TV Movie) - Garfield *''

Big Hawaii ''Big Hawaii'' is an American drama television series that aired from September 21 until November 23, 1977. The pilot film ''Danger In Paradise'' aired on May 12, 1977 (the series was also screened on ITV in Britain under that title). Premise A ...

'' (1977, TV Series) - Garfield Kalahani *''Stickin' Together'' (1978) - Big Ben Kalkini *''The Islander'' (1978, TV Movie) - Henchman *''Pearl'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) - Sergeant *''

The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove ''The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove'' (also known as ''Wonderland Cove'') is an American six-episode drama miniseries which aired on ABC during the 1978–79 season from March 27 to May 18, 1979, following a television film pilot titled ''Stickin' ...

'' (1979, TV Series) - Big Ben Kalikini *''The Paradise Connection'' (1979) - Driver *''

'' (1971–1980, TV Series) - Det. Truck Kealoha *''M Station: Hawaii'' (1980) - Truck Kealoha *''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'' (1980, TV Series) - Chin *''

Hawaiian Heat ''Hawaiian Heat'' is an American drama television series. It starred Robert Ginty and Jeff McCracken. The series aired on ABC from September 14 to December 21, 1984. Overview It starred Robert Ginty and Jeff McCracken as two Chicago cops wh ...

'' (1984, TV Movie) - Jinbo *''

Gidget's Summer Reunion ''Gidget's Summer Reunion'' is a 1985 American made-for-television adventure comedy-drama film produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired in syndication on June 1, 1985. It was written by Robert Blees and George Zateslo, directed by Br ...

'' (1985, TV Movie) - Bob the Driver *''Blood and Orchids'' (1986, TV Movie) - Roy Manakula *''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...

'' (1981–1987, TV Series) - Mortie the car rental dealer / Granville / Kaholo *''

'' (1994) - Hawaiian fisherman *''Hawaii Five-O'' (1997, TV Movie) - Truck (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keale, Moe 1939 births 2002 deaths People from Oahu Native Hawaiian musicians Male actors from Hawaii Native Hawaiian people People of the Territory of Hawaii People from Niihau 20th-century American musicians