Pua Almeida

Pua Almeida (1922–1974) was a Hawaiian steel guitarist, considered a leading performer on that instrument.

Almeida (sometimes given as "Alameida") was born in 1922 in Honolulu.[1] His musical start began in the band of his father, John Kameaaloha Almeida.[1] He formed his own big band, "The Sunset Serenaders" and performed at several top venues around Hawaii.[1] He relocated to Southern California in 1947, performing in clubs.[1] As the Hawaiian steel guitar achieved international status in the 1940s, Almeida was recognized as a master of the instrument.[2] In 1958 he began a 16-year association with the Surfrider Hotel.[1]

He recorded for American Decca Records in 1966[3] and for MGM Records.[4] For seventeen years he was commonly featured on the Hawaii Calls radio program.[1][5]

Pua suffered from poor heart health, and died in 1974.[5]

References
  1. Ruymar, Lorene (1996). The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Anaheim Hills, California: Centerstream Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 1-57424-021-8.
  2. Love, J.W.; Kaeppler, Adrienne, eds. (2017). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Australia and the Pacific Islands. Routledge. p. 618. ISBN 9781351544320.
  3. Ruppli, Michel (1996). The Decca Labels: The California sessions. Greenwood Press. p. 859. ISBN 9780313299841.
  4. Ruppli, Michel (1998). The MGM Labels: Additional recordings. Greenwood Press. p. 562. ISBN 9780313307805.
  5. Todaro, Tony. "Pua Almeida". Square One. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.