Webley Edwards, a broadcasting innovator, significantly influenced the spread of Hawaiian music across the mainland United States via his extended tenure hosting the weekly radio program Hawaii Calls and through numerous recordings. Born on November 11, 1902, in Corvallis, Oregon, Edwards went on to study at Oregon State University, where he became the inaugural student manager of the university radio outlet KOAC. After moving to Hawaii in 1928 and taking up employment selling automobiles, he developed a deep interest in the local musical customs, leading him in 1935 to arrange the creation of a broadcast featuring genuine island music. Debuting on July 3 from the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, the program Hawaii Calls reached more than 400 stations on the mainland but faced monetary challenges in its initial period, depending at times on support from the Hawaii Tourist Bureau. Edwards became the initial radio voice to report on the Japanese assault at Pearl Harbor, and during the wartime period he served as a correspondent for CBS Radio, securing unique stories such as a discussion with Colonel Paul Tibbetts, who piloted the plane that released the initial atomic bomb on Hiroshima; additionally, he was the sole announcer permitted aboard the USS Missouri to cover the capitulation proceedings concluding the war. During the 1950s, he assembled and oversaw multiple compilations of Hawaiian music issued by Capitol Records; although released bearing his name, releases like Fire Goddess, Hula Island Favorites, and Exotic Instrumentals actually showcased performances from artists including Alfred Apaka, George Kainapau, Haleloke, and Simeon and Andy Bright. Over its 37-year span, Hawaii Calls helped bring attention to songs such as "Sweet Leilani," "Lovely Hula Hands," "Beyond the Reef," "Little Brown Gal," and "The Hawaiian Wedding Song." The broadcast concluded in 1972 following Edwards' heart attack—he had also held a position in the state legislature—and he passed away in Honolulu on October 5, 1977.
