Mahalo Don Ho
Don Ho has passed. To the best of my knowledge he lived a long, healthy, fantastic life making people happy with his carefree music.
I listen to Don Ho ... a lot. As hokey as it sounds, he was a pretty significant figure in my life. In fact, just this Sunday (the day after Don passed about which I was still unaware), I was telling a few friends about how much of an impression Don's music and style had made upon me as a small child. I remember watching the "Don Ho TV Show" on weekday mornings as a kid and being mesmerized. The show was filmed on Waikiki Beach: the colors of the sky and sea, the palm trees and tropical foliage, Don's laid back attitude, and the utter Hawaiian-ness of the show were just too much for me. Memories of that show have lingered all these years and have greatly influenced my life. My more-shirts-than-days-in-a-month aloha shirt collection is a perfect example of my trying to recapture that childhood fascination with Don Ho's magical Hawaiian universe.
Emiana and I had the great pleasure of catching a performance by Don during our honeymoon. We even got to meet him briefly for a photo before the show. The man was a class act and his show was pure fun.
These days if you see me bopping about London with my iPod, there's a very good chance I'm listening to Don croon. His music, though technically not really Hawaiian, sums up the islands perfectly. His aloha spirit and love for his land shines through in every note.
Mahalo nui loa, Don, for being there and sharing your wonderful life with the world.
Click here for the Honolulu Advertiser's tribute to the legend.
I listen to Don Ho ... a lot. As hokey as it sounds, he was a pretty significant figure in my life. In fact, just this Sunday (the day after Don passed about which I was still unaware), I was telling a few friends about how much of an impression Don's music and style had made upon me as a small child. I remember watching the "Don Ho TV Show" on weekday mornings as a kid and being mesmerized. The show was filmed on Waikiki Beach: the colors of the sky and sea, the palm trees and tropical foliage, Don's laid back attitude, and the utter Hawaiian-ness of the show were just too much for me. Memories of that show have lingered all these years and have greatly influenced my life. My more-shirts-than-days-in-a-month aloha shirt collection is a perfect example of my trying to recapture that childhood fascination with Don Ho's magical Hawaiian universe.
Emiana and I had the great pleasure of catching a performance by Don during our honeymoon. We even got to meet him briefly for a photo before the show. The man was a class act and his show was pure fun.
These days if you see me bopping about London with my iPod, there's a very good chance I'm listening to Don croon. His music, though technically not really Hawaiian, sums up the islands perfectly. His aloha spirit and love for his land shines through in every note.
Mahalo nui loa, Don, for being there and sharing your wonderful life with the world.
1 comment:
That was such a great evening. A superb entertainer - everyone at the show was giddy to be there and he seemed happy to be singing his songs and doing his schtick. Good life. Aloha nui loa, Don.
Post a Comment