Dob. Sept. 26, 1900, Hilo, Hawaii, USA. (Irish-Hawaiian parents) d. Feb.
1, 1972, Honolulu, Oahu, USA. Tag: The "Hawaiian boy with an Irish name"
(Father: William Kinney. Mother: Pilialoha) Vocalist, -but also played
Ukulele, and the Bass Fiddle.
Here's a photo of Ray, who was first a singer and later a
bandleader. Home base was Hollywood, CA, USA, and he had quite a few hit
releases. As a vocalist, he had an excellent recording of "It's Just A
Little Brown Gal In A Little Grass Skirt In A Little Grass Shack In
Hawaii", backed by 'Dick McIntire's Harmony Hawaiians.' (composers: Don
McDiarmid and Lee Wood.) Another of his 'Hawaiian' hit releases was
"Dusky Polynesian" a song chastising a 'beach boy' for ocean-fishing
when he should be in the kitchen doing the dishes for the tourists.
Kinney was also a composer in his own right, composing such tunes as
Ululani", "Kalapaki Bay", "Not Pau", "Island Serenade", "Hawaiian
Hospitality", and "Leimana."
In 1915, at just age 15, Ray (already singing and
playing the ukulele) was sent to Salt Lake City, UT, USA for schooling.
His Irish father sent him as well as his six brothers to the mainland US
for schooling. Very soon, Ray and his 6 brothers formed their own band
and toured the Western U. S. area.
In 1920, when his Hawaiian mother died, Ray returned
to the Islands. In 1925, composer Charles E. King selected him for the
cast of King's opera "Prince of Hawaii". Ray played the Lead part, and
the show toured the USA in 1926. In 1928, bandleader Johnny Noble chose
Kinney for Noble's hour-long national radio show originating at station
KPO in San Francisico. The show promoted Hawaiian tourism. Noble's
orchestra, with Kinney as one of the singers, cut 110 singles for the
Brunswick label.
In 1934, Kinney was working at a "day job" in a Taro
factory when bandleader Harry Owens called on him to join his orchestra
for their opening at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The next year, in 1935,
Kinney was heard on the first broadcast of Wesley Edwards' famed "Hawaii
Calls" radio show, and continued to perform there for many years.
In 1936, Decca Records contracted Johnny Noble and
His Orchestra, specifying Kinney as vocalist, for a series of Hawaiian
recordings. The contractual relationship lasted four years producing
"phenomenal" sales for Decca, while also increasing the fame of Ray
Kinney as well as Johnny Noble. In 1938, Ray and his "Aloha Maids" found
time to also perform in the Olsen and Johnson Broadway revue
"Hellzapoppin'", the first time a Hawaiian entertainer had been in a
major Broadway production. And again in 1938, Ray actually scored higher
than Rudy Vallee and Guy Lombardo in a New York popularity poll of
American singers.
Later, Ray led his own orchestra that played at New
York's Hotel Lexington. (The hotel featured "Hawaiian" orchestras.) And,
here's a photo of Ray Kinney and His Hawaiian
Musical Ambassadors' (Kinney is at the far right holding his
Ukulele) as they appeared in the Hawaiian Room of the Hotel Lexington
(circa 1939-'40s.)
On a trip home to Hawaii, Kinney signed Alfred Apaka,
Jr, as his featured vocalist, and Apaka also appeared with Kinney's band
at the Hotel Lexington. Alfred Apaka was featured on several Kinney
recordings. However, Apaka's home life was deteriorating, and he and his
wife divorced. In 1943, Apaka was still on the mainland USA, where he
was rejected for military service due to having flat feet.
During WWII, Kinney served by touring 157 military
bases and clubs, and was a special favorite of Hawaii's own 442nd
Regiment.
At the end of WWII, Kinney returned to Hawaii, and
rejoined Don McDiarmid's Orchestra, at the Kewalo Inn, where he
played bass, as well as singing. In 1949, Kinney "discovered" still more
Hawaiian talent, taking Eddie Kamae on tour with him, and, in 1959,
adding Kamae to his 'Royal Hawaiian Hotel orchestra'.
Ray had married Dawn Holt, and they had two sons,
Rayner, Rankin, and three daughters Meymo, Raylani, Leimana. When Kinney
died in 1972, he still had his beautiful "high tenor" voice, that could
range from bass to falsetto with ease, and he still took great pains to
articulate each sound of the Hawaiian lyric.