Ray Kinney (September 26, 1900 – February 1, 1972)
was a singer, musician, composer,
orchestra leader
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
, and performer on radio, stage and screen.
Biography
Kinney was born in
Hilo, Hawaii to Irish-Hawaiian parents William & Pilialoha Kinney. At age 15 he and his six brothers were sent to school in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. Already skilled on the
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 ...
and with a fine
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
voice, Ray and his brothers formed their own band and began touring the western US. He returned to Hawaii in 1920 upon the death of his mother.
Early career
Ray was cast in 1925 as the lead in the opera "''Prince of Hawaii''" by noted Hawaiian composer
Charles E. King
Charles Edward King (January 29, 1874 – February 27, 1950) was an educator, Hawaii territorial legislator, and a songwriter who is most widely known as the composer of "Hawaiian Wedding Song, Ke Kali Nei Au". King was inducted into the Hawaiian ...
. The opera began touring in California in 1926.
In 1928 bandleader
Johnny Noble chose Kinney among others to appear on his radio show. The show originated from station
KPO in San Francisco and was basically an hour long promotion for
Hawaiian tourism. Later that year
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916.
History
From 1916
Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing prod ...
signed Noble, with Kinney as one of the singers, to a contract that resulted in 110
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
being issued. Those
78s
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...
and the show helped introduce and popularize Hawaiian music in the
US mainland
The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
and lead to a national tour and then an 11-month engagement at the
Palace Hotel in San Francisco..
While working in a
Taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
factory in 1934, Kinney was approached by bandleader
Harry Owens
Harry Robert Owens (18 April 1902 – 12 December 1986) was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter best known for his song "Sweet Leilani."
Biography
Harry Robert Owens was born April 18, 1902, in O'Neill, Nebraska. He learned t ...
to join his orchestra for their opening 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 ...
.
Ray appeared on the
premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
broadcast of
Webley Edwards
Webley Edwards (November 11, 1902 – October 5, 1977) was a World War II news correspondent, National radio host and politician.
Early life and education
Edwards was the starting quarterback at Oregon State University
Oregon State Unive ...
' "''
Hawaii Calls
''Hawaii Calls'' was a radio program broadcast live from Waikiki Beach from 1935 through 1975 that reached 750 stations world-wide at the height of its popularity. It featured live Hawaiian music by an 11-piece dance orchestra conducted by Harry ...
''" radio show from the
Moana Hotel
The Moana Hotel is a historic hotel building in Honolulu, Hawaii, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in the Waikiki neighborhood. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened in 1901. It is listed on the National Re ...
in July 1935. He regularly appeared on the show for a number of years.
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), 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 ...
signed Johnny Noble and His Orchestra, with Kinney as vocalist, to a contract in 1936. The "phenomenal" sales results kept them under contract for four years.
Kinney
became the first Hawaiian entertainer to be in a major
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 when he and the "''Aloha Maids''" were cast in the
Olsen and Johnson Broadway revue "''
Hellzapoppin'''" in September 1938. The show lasted 1,404 performances and ran until December 1941. 1938 also saw Kinney beat out the likes of
Rudy Vallée
Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type.
Early life
Hubert Prior Vall ...
and
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer.
Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and oth ...
in a New York popularity poll of American singers as well as begin a four-year stint in the "
Hawaiian Room" of
New York's Hotel Lexington leading his own orchestra.
Alfred Apaka
Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. (March 19, 1919 – January 30, 1960) was a Hawaiian singer whose romantic baritone voice was closely identified with Hawaii between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of ...
was hired by Kinney in 1940 as his vocalist at the "Hawaiian Room" and was featured on several Kinney recordings.
Kinney's 1941
musical short
The musical short (a.k.a. musical short film, a.k.a. musical featurette) can be traced back to the earliest days of sound films.
Performers in the Lee de Forest Phonofilms of 1923-24 included Eddie Cantor, George Jessel, Abbie Mitchell ("The C ...
"''Ana Lani''"
is frequently mixed up with the 1947 "''Hawaiian Hula Song''".
During the
war years, Kinney toured 157 military bases and clubs becoming a favorite of Hawaii's
442nd Regiment.
The end of the war saw Kinney return to Hawaii and join
Don McDiarmid's Orchestra performing at the Kewalo Inn as vocalist and bass fiddle player.
In 1949, Kinney discovered
Eddie Kamae and took him on tour and finally, in 1959, adding Kamae to the "
Royal Hawaiian Hotel Orchestra".
Kinney also composed many songs during his career including "Across the Sea",
"Not Pau",
"Hawaiian Hospitality",
"Maile Lau Li'ili'i",
"Island Serenade", "Kalapaki Bay", "Ululani", and "Leimana."
Later career
Ray signed his last recording contract at age 65 with
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
. Kinney noted it was "''somewhat of a miracle''" that his recording career had lasted nearly forty years and almost 600 songs.
Personal life
Kinney married Dawn Holt, and they had five children, daughters Leimana, Meymo, Raylani and sons Rankin, and Rayner.
Death
Ray Kinney died on February 1, 1972 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Awards and recognition
2002 Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Honoree
References
External links
Ray Kinney Hawaiian Musician and EntertainerDiscogs*
*
*
Ray Kinney recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Ray
1900 births
1972 deaths
People from Hilo, Hawaii
American people of Irish descent
Musicians from Hawaii
Male actors from Hawaii
American ukulele players
American bandleaders
American male composers
Decca Records artists
RCA Victor artists
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American composers
20th-century American male musicians