Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai ( ; 1902 – November 16, 1953) was a

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of pla ...

ist. A virtuoso, he was one of the most famous original Hawaiian steel guitarists, along with

Joseph Kekuku Joseph Kekuku‘upenakana‘iapuniokamehameha Apuakehau, Jr. (1874/75 – January 16, 1932), better known as Joseph Kekuku, was a Hawaiian-American musician and the inventor of the steel guitar. He discovered the sound of the steel guitar after t ...

, Frank Ferera, Sam Ku West and "King" Bennie Nawahi.

Early life

He was born Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

in 1902 into a large family – his birth making him the 21st child in the family. Sol's family taught him to sing and play instruments by the time he could walk. He was playing the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

by age three. By his teenage years the

Hawaiian steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of play ...

had become his instrument of choice. He made his debut with Johnny Noble and his Orchestra. According to the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, at age 17 Sol and two teenage friends stowed away on the ocean liner '' Matsonia''. They were discovered by passengers who were so charmed by their musical performances that the other passengers took up a collection to pay their fares. They landed in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, played a few club engagements, and eventually made their way to Los Angeles at the behest of

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

to play in his country music band. Sol's friends returned to Hawaii, and Sol formed a trio with new associates.

Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio

By 1924, Hoʻopiʻi had moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he formed the Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio, with Glenwood Leslie and Lani McIntyre, including sometimes additional musicians, and he successfully performed in the local and then very popular Polynesian-themed night venues. His first recordings in 1925–28 featured often jazzy improvisation. He recorded his best known material 1933 to 1938, as Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio, Novelty Quartette and Novelty Five on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

and

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

labels, like the famous ''Hula Girl'', ''Ten Tiny Toes'', and many more brilliant Hawaiian

hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...

and hapa-haole songs penned by the best Hawaiian composers like Johnny Noble and Sol Bright. Originally favouring the acoustic

, he switched to electric lap steel only around 1935 and developed an original tuning, in addition to the open A or open G tunings commonly in use at the time. He very often applied bluesy and jazzy treatments to the

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

standards, as well as to Hawaiian classics. His peculiar rhythmic, harmonic and melodic techniques influenced not only Hawaiian-styled musicians but also famed

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or d ...

swing steel guitarists, like Joaquin Murphy and

Jerry Byrd Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm. He appeared on numerous radio p ...

Christian ministry

In 1938, Hoʻopiʻi gave up his secular career to join the evangelist

Aimee Semple McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

, writing and performing songs for her tours. The Foursquare Church A rare video exists of Hoʻopiʻi playing traditional hymns on his lap steel guitar, accompanied by Christian composer Phillip Stanley KerrHymnary.org on the piano. Kerr mis-pronounces Sol's name as "hope-y". (Prior to, and for years after Hawaii's statehood, many Americans mis-pronounced the state's name as How-Wah-Yah, leading to show biz jokes about the 50th state of "How Are Ya?" ) Titled ''Musical Moments with Sol Hoʻopiʻi and His Hawaiian Guitar'', part of ''The Scriptures Visualized'' series, this was produced in 1942 by C.O. Baptista Films of Chicago.Billy Graham Center Part 2 of the video begins with Phil Kerr and Sol Hoʻopiʻi testifying about Hoʻopiʻi's Christian conversion, and contains a rare moment of Hoʻopiʻi doing a falsetto rendition of Kerr's composition ''I'm in Love with the Lover of my Soul''.

Steel guitar history

Some historians credit

with inventing the Hawaiian steel guitar about 1889 from an acoustic Spanish guitar. Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association This was long before Hoʻopiʻi's time. As far as the electrified lap steel, Philip Kerr mentions in the 1942 Baptista video that Hoʻopiʻi "was the originator of this electric guitar that he's playing." Hoʻopiʻi himself does not make that claim on camera and Kerr may have been saying that Hoʻopiʻi designed or made that particular guitar in his possession. However, the claim comes up again in 1950, in a Florida Newspaper announcing, "Sol Hoopii, king of the Hawaiian guitar and originator of the electric guitar..." as part of the entertainment line-up for a church anniversary. The electric lap steel guitar, in fact, was not invented by Hoʻopiʻi, but he was acquainted with its inventor,

George Beauchamp George Delmetia Beauchamp (; March 18, 1899 – March 30, 1941) was an American inventor of musical instruments. He is known for designing the first electrically amplified guitar to be marketed commercially. He was also a founder of Natio ...

, in Los Angeles. Beauchamp was a steel player who collaborated with violin repairman

John Dopyera John Dopyera ( Slovak: ''Ján Dopjera''; 1893–1988) was a Slovak- American inventor, entrepreneur, and maker of stringed instruments. His inventions included the resonator guitar and important contributions to the early development of the el ...

to attempt to build a steel guitar that was louder. Dopyera and Beauchamp developed a non-electric guitar prototype with a metal resonator, a large metal cone placed under the guitar bridge. They sought investors for a new company to manufacture and sell the

resonator guitar A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar (often generically called a " Dobro") is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by conducting string vibrations through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones (resonators), instead of to the guitar' ...

. To promote their invention, they organized a lavish party hosted by millionaire Ted Kleinmeyer and asked Sol Hoʻopiʻi to demonstrate the instrument. Years later, after splitting with Dopyera, Beauchamp independently invented the first electric guitar (a lap steel), and received the patent on August 10, 1937.

Final days and death

For the last few years of his life Hoʻopiʻi was blind, but he continued to play, compose, and teach. Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai died November 16, 1953. His place of death has been listed alternately as Los Angeles, California, or

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Bud Tutmarc, a Christian

player based in Seattle, was a close personal friend of Sol's and stated that Sol died in Seattle. On May 27, 1953, only 6 months before Sol's death, the two friends recorded a live Seattle performance of ''Indiana March'' (Sol on steel guitar); a three-in-one gospel medley (Sol and Bud steel guitar duet) – ''Mansion Over the Hilltop'', ''It Is No Secret'' and ''Aloha Oe''; a medley of ''At Calvary'' and ''Power In The Blood'' (Sol solo ukulele instrumental); and ''I'll Go With Him'' (ukulele and Sol vocals). Tutmarc died December 4, 2006, and his web site photo page has a snapshot of Sol and Bud having what looks like a one-on-one jam session. (photo #6 of the "Middle Years" gallery) Steel guitarist George de Fretes, who died in 1981, considered Hoʻopiʻi to be his idol, and is buried next to him.

In popular culture

The Sol Hoʻopiʻi Trio appears as a house band wearing "...pink shirts and matching trousers, with red cummerbunds and leis..." in the 1998 novel ''Damned in Paradise''. Sol Hoʻopiʻi's guitar and memorabilia make an appearance in the 2004 novel ''The Celestial Jukebox''.

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

does a brief tip of the hat to "Sol Hoʻopiʻi and his Royal Hawaiians" in his 2004 novel ''Love Me''. Author Simon Leng likens

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

's slide guitar work with the

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1988, consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest sup ...

to "a 1990s Sol Hoʻopiʻi" in his 2006 book on the works of the British legend.

Awards

In 1996, Hoʻopiʻi became an honoree in the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. The Steel Guitar Hall of Famehe Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, Inc inducted Hoʻopiʻi in 1979. In 2012 Hoʻopiʻi's recording of the Gershwin standard " Fascinating Rhythm" was added to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."

Soundtracks

Hoʻopiʻi performed in a number of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

"jazz" movies like ''His Jazz Bride'', and later he was involved in the exotic movies craze, appearing notably in '' Bird of Paradise'', '' Waikiki Wedding'', and even some

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

mystery movies. He also performed in the soundtrack for the

Betty Boop Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...

cartoon '' Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle''.

Discography (partial)

78 RPM singles

Brunswick Sessions 1933–34

*Hula Girls – Brunswick 6768 *King Kamehameha – Brunswick 6873 *Ten Tiny Toes, One Baby Nose – Brunswick 6687 *King's Serenade – Brunswick 6950

Decca Sessions 1938

*Twilight Blues – Decca 2560 *Stack O' Lee – Decca 2241 *Fascinatin' Rhythm – Decca 2280 *Farewell Blues – Decca 2241

Compilation CD

*Sol Hoʻopiʻi in Hollywood Grass Skirt *The Moana Serenaders 1974 MCA Records *Master Of The Hawaiian Guitar (Volume I) 1977 Rounder Records *Master Of The Hawaiian Guitar (Volume Two) 1987 Rounder Records

Filmography

*''Radio Kisses'' (1930) *''Divorced Sweethearts'' (1930) *'' Flirtation Walk'' (1934) *''High Tension'' (1936) *''Hawaiian Nights'' (1939)

References

External links

* (as Sol Hoopii Jr.)
Sol Hoʻopiʻi – 1930s publicity still

Sol Hoʻopiʻi's sacred and private recordings
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ho'opi'i, Sol Native Hawaiian musicians Steel guitarists Ukulele players from Hawaii American performers of Christian music 1902 births 1953 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American guitarists Decca Records artists Brunswick Records artists