Hawaii Calls

This article is about the radio program. For other uses, see Hawaii Calls (disambiguation).
Hawaii Calls
GenreHawaiian music
Running time30 min
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English, Hawaiian
StarringWebley Edwards, Hawaiian Musicians and Singers
Created byWebley Edwards
Written byWebley Edwards
Directed byWebley Edwards
Executive producer(s)Webley Edwards
Narrated byWebley Edwards
Recording studioMoana Hotel, Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, Ilikai Hotel, Hawaiian Village Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii
Original releaseJuly 3, 1935 –
August 16, 1975
No. of episodes2083

Hawaii Calls was a radio program broadcast live from Waikiki Beach from 1935 through 1975 that reached 750 stations world-wide at the height of its popularity.[1]: 46  It featured live Hawaiian music by an 11-piece dance orchestra conducted by Harry Owens, the composer of "Sweet Leilani". The show selected the best musicians and singers, with the purpose of showcasing what authentic Hawaiian music is like when played by native performers, but with one major difference—the lyrics were sung in English[2] and intended for white audiences.[3] Hawaiians called this hybrid with English hapa haole (half-white).[4]

Hawaii Calls intro by Webley Edwards
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The show was first heard in the U.S. mainland over short wave radio, but by 1952 it was carried over station KGMB in Honolulu.[1]: 47  The show had no advertisements but, because of its positive portrayal of Hawaii, it received a subsidy for many years—first from the government of the Territory of Hawaii, and then from the State of Hawaii.[1]: 47 

It was broadcast each week, usually from the courtyard of the Moana Hotel on Waikiki Beach but occasionally from other locations, and hosted by Webley Edwards for almost the entire run. Al Kealoha Perry was musical director for thirty years, 1937–1967.[5] Ray Andrade was a charter member of the Harry Owens Royal Hawaiian Hotel Orchestra and became one of the first vocalists on the Hawaii Calls radio show.[6] When the show came on the air, listeners were convinced that they could hear sound of waves pounding on the surf.[1]: 47  According to historian Lorene Ruymar, they were likely hearing the alternating sound waves on their radio sets; but host Webley Edwards picked up on it, and he began opening every performance by holding the microphone out toward the ocean proclaiming, "The sound of the waves on the beach at Waikiki" over an alluring steel guitar background.[1]: 47 

  1. ^ a b c d e Ruymar, Ruymar (1996). The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Pub. ISBN 1574240218.
  2. ^ Kanahele, George S.; Berger, John, eds. (2012) [1979]. Hawaiian Music & Musicians (2nd ed.). Honolulu, HI, USA: Mutual Publishing, LLC. ISBN 9781566479677. OCLC 808415079.
  3. ^ Shey, Brittanie (October 30, 2017). "Legendary Steel Guitarist Herb Remington Looks Back". Hustonia Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Johnson, Akemi (August 8, 2016). "Who Gets to be 'Hapa'?". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "Aloha Hula Hawaiian Style". Territorial Airwaves. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Listen". gridserver.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015.