14 Facts About Arthur Lyman

Arthur Hunt Lyman was a Hawaiian jazz vibraphone and marimba player.

Arthur Lyman's group popularized a style of faux-Polynesian music during the 1950s and 1960s which later became known as exotica.

Arthur Lyman's albums became favorite stereo-effect demonstration discs during the early days of the stereophonic LP album for their elaborate and colorful percussion, deep bass and 3-dimensional recording soundstage.

Arthur Lyman was born on the island of Kauai in the US territory of Hawaii, on February 2,1932.

Arthur Lyman was the youngest of eight children of a Hawaiian mother and a father of Hawaiian, French, Belgian and Chinese descent.

Arthur Lyman joined his father and brother playing USO shows on the bases at Kaneohe and Pearl Harbor.

One full moon night Arthur Lyman had "had a little too many Mai-Tais to drink," and when they began playing the theme from Vera Cruz, Arthur Lyman let out a few bird calls.

That same year, Lyman was persuaded by Henry J Kaiser to leave The Martin Denny Group to form his own group, continuing in much the same style but even more flamboyant.

Arthur Lyman continued to play as a solo act at the New Otani in the 1980s and 1990s.

Arthur Lyman performed for years at Don the Beachcomber's Polynesian Village, the Shell Bar, the Waialae Country Club and the Canoe House at the Ilikai Hotel at Waikiki, the Bali Hai in San Diego and at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago.

Arthur Lyman's last charting single was "Love For Sale", but his music enjoyed a new burst of popularity in the 1990s with the lounge music revival and CD reissues.

Arthur Lyman recorded after midnight, to avoid the sounds of traffic and tourists, and occasionally you can hear the aluminum dome creaking as it settles in the cool night air.

Arthur Lyman noted that he did not like recording in the dome because of the echo and the outside noise but did so because it was free.

In May 2014, Alika Lyman, the great-nephew of Arthur Lyman, released a tribute album titled Leis of Jazz, Vol.