Don Ho
Encyclopedia
Donald Tai Loy "Don" Ho was a Hawaiian and traditional pop
musician
, singer and entertainer.
, Hawaiian, Portuguese
, Dutch
, and German
descent, was born in the small Honolulu
neighborhood of Kakaako
, but he grew up in Kāneohe
on the windward side of the island of Oahu
. He was a graduate of the Kamanawanleiu Schools in 1949 and he attended Springfield College
on a football scholarship in 1950, but returned home to earn a bachelor's degree
in sociology
at University of Hawai'i
in 1953. In 1954 Ho entered the United States Air Force
doing his basic training at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and spent time flying fighter jets in both Texas
and Hawaii. Transferred to Hamilton AFB, California he went to the local town of Concord and bought an electronic keyboard from a music store, and recalls, "That's when it all started."
Don married his high school sweetheart, Melvamay Kolokea Wong, on November 21, 1951. She was the mother to the first six of his children. Ho was married for 48 years until his wife's passing on June 8, 1999. While in the military, Ho traveled from state to state with his young family until he was called home to help his mother Honey Ho, with the family bar business called Honey's.
Ho left the United States Air Force
in 1959 due to his mother's illness and began singing at his mother's club in Kaneohe. Honey's became a hotspot for the local entertainment and the growing customers from the Kaneohe Marine Base servicemen. Ho always honored the military remembering his own years of military service. In 1963, he moved the Kāneohe Honey's to Waikīkī
. After much success, and little room to grow, promoter Kimo Wilder McVay
sought Don to play at a night club called Duke's owned by Duke Kahanamoku
, where he caught the attention of record company officials.
Ho was originally signed to Reprise Records
. Ho released his debut album, Don Ho Show, in 1965 and began to play high profile locations in Las Vegas
, Lake Tahoe
, and New York City. In 1966 he released his second album, a live compilation called Don Ho — Again!, which charted in the early part of that year. In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most famous song, "Tiny Bubbles
", which charted on both the pop
(#8 Billboard) and easy listening
charts and caused the subsequent Tiny Bubbles LP to remain in the album Top 20 for almost a year. Another song associated with Don was "Pearly Shells
". From 1964 to 1969, Don's backing group was The Aliis: Al Akana, Rudy Aquino, Benny Chong, Manny Lagodlagod and Joe Mundo.
In his stage show, Ho would make jokes about being sent in the mid-1950s to Keesler Air Force Base
, Mississippi and being Hawaiian. Don Ho enjoyed asking for a show of hands of veterans of World War II. He would ask for all the Pearl Harbor survivors to stand. He would tell the men from the European Theatre, "you got your glory in the movies" and they could watch. The veterans of the Pacific Theatre were invited on stage to join the hula dancers.
Guest appearances on television shows such as I Dream of Jeannie
, The Brady Bunch
, Sanford and Son
, Batman
, Charlie's Angels
, and Fantasy Island
soon followed. Although his album sales peaked in the late 1960s, he was able to land a television series on ABC
from October 1976 to March 1977 with the Don Ho Show variety program which aired on weekday mornings (which by coincidence replaced Hot Seat and was replaced by Second Chance, both game shows hosted by Jim Peck
).
All together, Ho had ten children. His children often worked alongside with him either on stage, behind the stage or with his business throughout his career. He loved to work with his children teaching them the entertainment business. His daughter, Hoku
, performed with her father in his Waikīkī show and in 2000 went on to become a nationally known recording artist in her own right. In 2005 he sang a song that was used as the opening theme to the direct-to-video and DVD movie Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
.
Ho was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy
in 2005 and had a pacemaker
implanted. He contacted a biotechnology
company specializing in treating heart conditions with adult stem cell
s working in conjunction with Dr. Shoa, cardiac surgeon
and pioneer of the use of adult stem cells for heart disease
. On December 6, 2005, Ho had his own blood-derived stem cells injected into his heart by Amit Patel
and his fellow surgeons in Thailand
. The treatment went without incident. Later in the month, Ho said, "I'm feeling much better and I'm so happy I came up here to do it."
Around September 12, 2006, Ho married Haumea Hebenstreit, who was a production assistant for his show at the Waikīkī Beachcomber. A few days later Ho went into cardiac arrest
. Although he had a new pacemaker installed on September 16, 2006, Ho died in Waikīkī from heart failure on April 14, 2007.
Since Ho's passing, his estate has been in limbo because of numerous management conflicts and legal changes that transpired while he was struggling with his mental and physical health.
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer and entertainer.
Life and career
Ho, of ChineseChinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, Hawaiian, Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
, and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
descent, was born in the small Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
neighborhood of Kakaako
Kakaako
Kakaako is the name of a commercial and retail district of Honolulu, Hawaii between Ala Moana near Waikīkī to the east, downtown Honolulu and Honolulu Harbor to the west. Kakaako is situated along the southern shores of the island of Oahu....
, but he grew up in Kāneohe
Kane'ohe, Hawai'i
Kāneohe is a census-designated place included in the City and County of Honolulu and located in Hawaii state District of Koolaupoko on the Island of Oahu. In the Hawaiian language, kāne ohe means "bamboo man"...
on the windward side of the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. He was a graduate of the Kamanawanleiu Schools in 1949 and he attended Springfield College
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...
on a football scholarship in 1950, but returned home to earn a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at University of Hawai'i
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1953. In 1954 Ho entered the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
doing his basic training at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and spent time flying fighter jets in both Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Hawaii. Transferred to Hamilton AFB, California he went to the local town of Concord and bought an electronic keyboard from a music store, and recalls, "That's when it all started."
Don married his high school sweetheart, Melvamay Kolokea Wong, on November 21, 1951. She was the mother to the first six of his children. Ho was married for 48 years until his wife's passing on June 8, 1999. While in the military, Ho traveled from state to state with his young family until he was called home to help his mother Honey Ho, with the family bar business called Honey's.
Ho left the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1959 due to his mother's illness and began singing at his mother's club in Kaneohe. Honey's became a hotspot for the local entertainment and the growing customers from the Kaneohe Marine Base servicemen. Ho always honored the military remembering his own years of military service. In 1963, he moved the Kāneohe Honey's to Waikīkī
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
. After much success, and little room to grow, promoter Kimo Wilder McVay
Kimo Wilder McVay
Kimo Wilder McVay was a musician turned talent manager, who successfully promoted Hawaiian entertainment acts. McVay promoted and managed acts such as teenage heart throb Robin Luke, Don Ho, John Rowles, comic Andy Bumatai, Keolo and Kapono Beamer, ventroliquist Freddie Morris, magician John...
sought Don to play at a night club called Duke's owned by Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian swimmer, actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player and businessman credited with spreading the sport of surfing. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming.-Early years:The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name...
, where he caught the attention of record company officials.
Ho was originally signed to Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. Ho released his debut album, Don Ho Show, in 1965 and began to play high profile locations in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
, and New York City. In 1966 he released his second album, a live compilation called Don Ho — Again!, which charted in the early part of that year. In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most famous song, "Tiny Bubbles
Tiny Bubbles (song)
"Tiny Bubbles" is a song written and released in 1967 by Don Ho.It charted on both the pop and easy listening charts, which caused its album, also called Tiny Bubbles, to peak at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is widely considered to be his most famous song....
", which charted on both the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
(#8 Billboard) and easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
charts and caused the subsequent Tiny Bubbles LP to remain in the album Top 20 for almost a year. Another song associated with Don was "Pearly Shells
Pearly Shells
Pearly Shells is an old Hawaiian song. The English lyrics were written by Webley Edwards and Leon Pober. Several people have performed it, including:*Don Ho*Burl Ives Sings Pearly Shells and Other Favorites...
". From 1964 to 1969, Don's backing group was The Aliis: Al Akana, Rudy Aquino, Benny Chong, Manny Lagodlagod and Joe Mundo.
In his stage show, Ho would make jokes about being sent in the mid-1950s to Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
, Mississippi and being Hawaiian. Don Ho enjoyed asking for a show of hands of veterans of World War II. He would ask for all the Pearl Harbor survivors to stand. He would tell the men from the European Theatre, "you got your glory in the movies" and they could watch. The veterans of the Pacific Theatre were invited on stage to join the hula dancers.
Guest appearances on television shows such as I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
, The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
, Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, and Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
soon followed. Although his album sales peaked in the late 1960s, he was able to land a television series on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from October 1976 to March 1977 with the Don Ho Show variety program which aired on weekday mornings (which by coincidence replaced Hot Seat and was replaced by Second Chance, both game shows hosted by Jim Peck
Jim Peck
James Edward "Jim" Peck is an American television and radio personality based in Milwaukee and is perhaps best known for his time as a game show host.-Early career:...
).
All together, Ho had ten children. His children often worked alongside with him either on stage, behind the stage or with his business throughout his career. He loved to work with his children teaching them the entertainment business. His daughter, Hoku
Hoku
Hōkū Christian Ho , known simply as Hoku, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of noted Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho. Her most popular singles are "Another Dumb Blonde," "How Do I Feel," and "Perfect Day."-Early life:Hoku was born on the island of Oahu in the...
, performed with her father in his Waikīkī show and in 2000 went on to become a nationally known recording artist in her own right. In 2005 he sang a song that was used as the opening theme to the direct-to-video and DVD movie Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
Aloha, Scooby-Doo!
Aloha, Scooby-Doo! is the eighth of a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on February 8, 2005, and it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, though it featured a copyright and logo for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons at the end...
.
Illness
Ho lived at his Diamond Head residence, raising his young family with their mothers. It was also where his business office was located. In 1995 at the age of 65, Ho's health began declining which began with a mild stroke. By 2002, he had developed an incurable heart condition. Despite his health, Ho was always hopeful, and resilient to find a solution. He also continued his nightly performances.Ho was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy, which literally means "heart muscle disease," is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia or sudden cardiac death or both. Cardiomyopathy can often go undetected, making it especially dangerous to...
in 2005 and had a pacemaker
Pacemaker
An artificial pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart.Pacemaker may also refer to:-Medicine:...
implanted. He contacted a biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
company specializing in treating heart conditions with adult stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
s working in conjunction with Dr. Shoa, cardiac surgeon
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
and pioneer of the use of adult stem cells for heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
. On December 6, 2005, Ho had his own blood-derived stem cells injected into his heart by Amit Patel
Amit Patel
Amit Patel is an Indian American cardiac surgeon and Director of Clinical Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering at the University of Utah though he is currently a student the University of Missouri- Kansas City School of Dentistry. He studied medicine at the Case Western Reserve University...
and his fellow surgeons in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The treatment went without incident. Later in the month, Ho said, "I'm feeling much better and I'm so happy I came up here to do it."
Around September 12, 2006, Ho married Haumea Hebenstreit, who was a production assistant for his show at the Waikīkī Beachcomber. A few days later Ho went into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
. Although he had a new pacemaker installed on September 16, 2006, Ho died in Waikīkī from heart failure on April 14, 2007.
Since Ho's passing, his estate has been in limbo because of numerous management conflicts and legal changes that transpired while he was struggling with his mental and physical health.
External links
- Official Website (requires Macromedia Flash)
- Don Ho's authorized autobiography, DON HO: My Music, My Life with Jerry Hopkins. ISBN 978-0-9790647-4-6
- Obituary from the Sydney Morning Herald
- Obituary on the Star Bulletin