1. Alfred Apaka was arguably the foremost interpreter of Hapa haole music, which melded Hawaiian music with traditional pop arrangements and English lyrics to convey Polynesian imagery and themes.
12 Facts About Alfred Apaka
1. 2.
Alfred Apaka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to vocalist Alfred Aholo Apaka, Sr.
3.
In 1951, Alfred Apaka became established at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki.
4.
Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong's manager, and Jay Faggen signed on as his talent agents and Alfred Apaka was groomed to become a mainstream crooner competing with the likes of Bing Crosby.
5.
Bob Hope first saw Alfred Apaka performing at a luau at Don the Beachcomber's in Waikiki in 1952.
6.
Alfred Apaka performed on many Hope and Crosby radio and television broadcasts as well as two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957.
7.
One month prior to his death, Alfred Apaka paid a visit to NBC in Los Angeles for a guest spot on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show on December 6,1959.
8.
Alfred Apaka was a regular on the enormously popular syndicated radio program Hawaii Calls, produced by Webley Edwards.
9.
The Decca Records release "The Best of Alfred Apaka" noted the following information in the album's liner notes:.
10.
Overheard by Bob Hope while singing at a luau in Honolulu, Alfred Apaka became a regular guest on Hope's radio and television shows.
11.
Alfred Apaka died suddenly of a heart attack in 1960, aged 40, while playing paddle tennis at a Honolulu YMCA.
12.
Alfred Apaka was buried with a microphone in his hand, and his final resting place is at Diamond Head Memorial Park.