Edwin Mahiai (Mahi) Copp Beamer (December 5, 1928 – July 14, 2017) was a tenor falsetto singer, composer and hula dancer of Hawaiian ancestry. He was 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 ...

in the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

and is the grandson of

Helen Desha Beamer Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer (September 8, 1882 – September 25, 1952) was a musician, composer of songs in the Hawaiian language, hula dancer and coloratura soprano of Hawaiian ancestry. Her descendants have also become accomplished artist ...

. His father, Milton Hoolulu Desha Beamer Sr. was her son. Mahi's mother was Mildred Kaaloehukaiopuaena Copp Beamer. In 2006, Mahi Beamer was inducted into the

Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame is an organization dedicated to recognizing the cultural importance of the music of Hawaii and hula. Established in 1994, the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame promotes the appreciation and preservation of Hawaiian cultur ...

. He was named a "Living Treasure of Hawaii" in 2008 by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, which has been recognizing Hawaii's treasures since 1976. He received the 1992 State of Hawaii Recognition Award for his musical contributions to the state and for perpetuating his grandmother's music. Beamer was the 1993 recipient of the

David Malo David Malo or Davida Malo (1795–1853) was a chiefly counselor, a Hawaiian intellectual, educator, politician and minister. He is remembered by subsequent generations of Hawaiian people and scholars primarily as a Native Hawaiian historian of the ...

award presented by Rotary International for his cultural contributions. Beamer is a 1946 graduate of Kamehameha Schools and went on to continue his musical education at

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

and Juilliard School of Music. He is a cousin to

Winona Beamer Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer (August 15, 1923 – April 10, 2008) was a champion of authentic and ancient Hawaiian culture, publishing many books, musical scores, as well as audio and video recordings on the subject. In her home sta ...

and once toured North America with Winona and her son Keola performing the ancient Hawaiian form of the hula. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

years at

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the t ...

Wahiawa Wahiawa ( haw, Wahiawā, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is in the Wahiawa District, on the plateau or "central valley" between the two volcanic mountains that comprise the ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

, where he played classical piano and the glockenspiel. His civilian music career got its start with a three-year stint singing at the Queen's Surf in

Waikiki Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

. In 1959, Beamer had an uncredited part as a singer in the

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

movie '' Forbidden Island'', which starred Jon Hall and was filmed on location in Hawaii. Beamer performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and for thirteen years was a featured performer of Nalani Kele's Polynesian Review at the Stardust Resort and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. Beamer performed at numerous venues in his home state of Hawaii, and recorded many of his grandmother's compositions. 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 stat ...

gave Beamer its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Mahi Beamer died at Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu on July 14, 2017, at the age of 88.

Singles discography (partial list)

Source: allmusic *"Halehuki" *"He Makana" *"Kahuli-Aku Kahuli-Mai" (arranger)Mahi Beamer's album lists him as the arranger. huapala.org says this is a traditional Hawaiian chant, set to music by Winona Beamer. ; *"Kawohikukapulani" *"Ke Ali'i Hulu Mamo" *"Keawaiki Hula" *"Ke Ha'a la Puna" *"Kimo Hula" (composer, along with Helen Desha Beamer) *"Kinue" *"Lei 'Ilima" *"Mahai'ula" *"Moanike' ala" *"Na Hala O Naue" *"Nohili" (also composer) *"Paniau" *"Pua Mae'ole" *"Pua Malihini" *"Pu'uwa'awa'a (Pihanakalani)"

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beamer, Mahi 1928 births 2017 deaths Hawaiian songwriters Kamehameha Schools alumni Native Hawaiian musicians People from Oahu Tenors