Alfred Apaka

Alfred Aloha Apaka (1919–1960) ranked among the most pivotal figures in the development of Hawaii’s popular music. Though his recording career spanned fewer than ten years, he established enduring benchmarks for contemporary Hawaiian sound through buoyant baritone delivery and magnetic stage presence. George Kanahele, in Hawaiian Music and Musicians, described Apaka as “the possessor of one of the most remarkable voices to come out of Hawaii. A natural, untrained, voice, it was strong, masculine and agile.....a delicate instrument that could range from B flat to E in pianissimo.” Musical aptitude reached him through his great aunt Lydia Ahola, daughter of Queen Lilioukalani. During an interview with The Honolulu Sun Bulletin, Apaka’s son Jeff—who himself entered entertainment—remarked, “I like to think that Dad’s musical training came in a direct line from the queen.” Throughout the 1940s he appeared with various ensembles, among them Don McDiamond’s Royal Hawaiian Hotel house band and Ray Kenney’s group in New York. Bob Hope discovered him singing at a Honolulu luau and subsequently featured him regularly on both radio and television programs. While observers expected a mainstream vocal career, Apaka instead persuaded multimillionaire Henry Kaiser to construct The Hawaiian Village hotel and outfit it with a showroom for Apaka’s own lavish revue. His vigorous shows quickly turned the property into a premier visitor destination, and his fame kept expanding. In February 1960, arrangements were completed for a national television special. Days afterward, Apaka died of a heart attack during a handball game. After an extensively covered funeral, he was interred with a microphone positioned in his hands as the casket was sealed. The 1999 collection Lost Recordings of Hawaii’s Golden Voice, drawn from sessions made between 1945 and 1949, earned the Na Hoku Hanohano award.