Ernest Kaʻai (1881–1962) was considered by many to have been the The Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum foremost ukulele authority of his time and is noted by some as being "Hawaii's Greatest Ukulele Player". Kaʻai, who 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 islan ...

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 ...

, was said to have been the first musician to play a complete melody with chords. He was the son of Simon Kaloa Kaʻai, a prominent politician during the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Career

A musical director at many Honolulu hotels, Kaʻai hired Johnny Noble in 1917. Square One He was a multi-talented empresario who was also a live performer and teacher, as well as a talent organizer and booking agent, composer and music publisher, and author of instructional manuals. He was the first Hawaiian to copyright his music. At one point Ka'ai had as many as 12 different bands performing on the islands. From 1927 to 1937, Ka'ia toured extensively through Asia introducing his teaching methods and making recordings while in Japan. Kaʻai ran the Kaʻai Ukulele Manufacturing Company, NALU Music which he sold in 1917 and bought shares in the Aloha Ukulele Manufacturing Co. In 1923, Kaʻai toured the Far East and Australia, moving to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. He planned to open a "Hawaiian Village" in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China, but the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...

changed his plans and he returned to Hawaii in 1937. By 1941, Kaʻai was living in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

where he opened a music store, taught and performed occasionally. The National Guitar Convention in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

on August 13–15, 1944, was entertained with a benefit concert by a Miami girl quartet with Kaʻai as the quartet's director. Kaʻai opened the Kaʻai Music Studios, which in 1946 provided a string ensemble for a December 27–28

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...

Celebration. The ''Miami News'' of May 29, 1949, reported Kaʻai would be accompanying vocalist Lucile Keyes for her June 4 performance at a fashion show during Fiesta. June 1950 found Kaʻai one among 200 volunteers in rehearsals for the 10 Youth Roundup Goodwill Units.

Death

Ernest Kaleihoku Kaʻai died in Miami on September 26, 1962.

Sheet music and instructional books published by Ernest Kaʻai

* * * * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaai, Ernest Native Hawaiian musicians Hawaiian ukulele players American mandolinists 1881 births 1961 deaths Guitarists from Hawaii American male guitarists 20th-century guitarists 20th-century American male musicians