"King" Bennie Nawahi

Bennie Nawahi
"King" Bennie Nawahi
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Keakahiawa Nawahi
Also known as	King Bennie Nawahi
Born	July 3, 1899(1899-07-03) Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Died	January 29, 1985(1985-01-29) (aged 85) Long Beach, California
Occupations	Live performer
Instruments	Ukulele Guitar Steel Guitar Mandolin
Years active	1919–1970
Labels	Columbia Records Victor Records QRS Records Grey Gull Records Yazoo Records
Associated acts	Hawaiian Novelty Five King Nawahi and the International Cowboys Nawahi Trio
Notable instruments
Steel Guitar Ukulele

"King" Bennie Nawahi (July 3, 1899 - January 29, 1985) was an American steel guitar master from Hawaii, well-known throughout the country in the 1920s and 30s. Celebrated as a virtuoso during his lifetime, his body of work has not garnered the accolades as have other Hawaiian musical stars of the era.

Biography

Benjamin Keakahiawa Nawahi was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, one of 12 children. While not of royal birth, Nawahi came by the title in the way many show business personalities do for their particular genre.

Nawahi learned to play in the parks of Honolulu for pennies,^[1] often teaming with Sol Hoʻopiʻi, who would become his rival for the title "King of the Hawaiian Guitar", along with that of Sam Ku West.^[2] Bennie was also known as "King of the Ukulele".^[3]

In 1919, Bennie played with his brother Joe's band, the Hawaiian Novelty Five, on the Matsonia passenger liner that sailed between Honolulu and San Francisco. The group eventually became a staple on the ^[4]Orpheum vaudeville circuit's North America tour.

Bennie separated from the group and embarked on a solo career as a singing ukulele player. Master showman Sid Grauman^[5] proclaimed Bennie "King of the Ukulele".

In 1920, an act of the United States Congress established Hawaii National Park, shining a spotlight on the islands. The Roaring Twenties was an era for shedding the sacrifices of a recent world war to celebrate life. The 1920s became a heydey for all things Hawaiian, and novelty acts of the vaudeville genre. Among Nawahi's stunts was playing Turkey in the Straw on Hawaiian guitar with his feet.^[6] Tin Pan Alley went with the craze and between 1915 and 1929 produced such ditties as Hello Hawaii How Are You?(1915) (when many pronounced the state's name as How-Wah-Yah), Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wiki Wacki Woo(1916), Hula Hula Dream Girl(1924) and That Aloha Waltz(1928).

There is evidence Bennie also used the name "J. Nawahi", as the Victor Library lists the tune Hula Blues^[7] by "J. Nawahi (instrumentalist : steel guitar)".

By 1928, Nawahi had begun recording for multiple record labels,^[8] including Columbia, Victor, Q.R.S. and Grey Gull, under multiple names (including Red Devils, Q.R.S. Boys, Slim Smith, Hawaiian Beach Combers, Georgia Jumpers, Four Hawaiian Guitars and King Nawahi & the International Cowboys), with band mates that included soon to be Sons of the Pioneers, Tim Spencer (singer) and Leonard Slye (later to become cowboy star Roy Rogers).

Blindness and later life

One night in 1935 while driving home from a performance, Bennie was suddenly struck blind. No medical cause was ever found.^[9] The loss of vision was permanent, but Bennie never allowed it to impede his life as he continued performing and touring through the 1970s when he was partially paralyzed by a stroke.

Nawahi set a remarkable swimming record for blind people in 1946.^[1] He swam the 22 miles of choppy Pacific Ocean waters from San Pedro, California to Santa Catalina Island in just over 22 hours, guided only by coach John Sonnichson and a bell on a lead boat.

Kawahi appeared briefly in the 1985 Academy Award-nominated documentary film on Roy Smeck, Wizard of the Strings.^[10]

Bennie Nawahi died in Long Beach, California on January 29, 1985.

Discography

• From Honolulu To Hollywood: Jazz, Blues & Popular Specialties Performed Hawaiian Style (2008) CD (The Old Masters)
• Hawaiian String Virtuoso: Steel Guitar Rec 1920's (2000) CD 2055 (Yazoo)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Corliss, Richard. "Hawaii's Man of Steel". Time Pacific Magazine (Time Inc.) (14 August 2000). http://www.time.com/time/pacific/magazine/20000814/kingbennie.html. 
2. ^ Ruymer, Lorene (1996). Hawaiian Steel Guitar. Centerstream Publications. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-57424-021-4. 
3. ^ Broughton, Simon; Ellinaham, Mark; Trillo, Richard (2000). The Rough Guide to World Music Vol 2 (Including Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific). pp. 57, 62. ISBN 978-1-85828-790-4. 
4. ^ "Orpheum Circuit". O.R.P.H. Inc.. http://www.orphinc.org/html/history.htm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
5. ^ "Memorial Sid Grauman". Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=413. Retrieved 22 May 2010.  Find A Grave
6. ^ Drowne, Kathleen; Huber, Patrick (2008). The 1920s. Greenwood. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-313-36163-0. 
7. ^ "J. Nawahi". UCSB Libraries. http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/9063/Nawahi_J._instrumentalist_steel_guitar. Retrieved 23 May 2010.  Regents of the University of California
8. ^ "Hawaiian String Virtuoso". Yazoo Records. http://www.yazoorecords.com/2055.htm. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
9. ^ "Bennie Nawahi". Brad's Page of Steel. http://www.well.com/~wellvis/nawahi.html. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
10. ^ "Wizard of the Strings". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090332/. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 

External links

• Wizard of the Strings documentary
• Nawahi, Victor Library

Persondata
Name	Nawahi, Bennie
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	3 July 1899
Place of birth	Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Date of death	29 January 1985
Place of death	Long Beach, California