The influence of Western music in Hawai‘i dates back as far as the ragtime era with the creation of hapa haole music (“half Hawaiian, half Caucasian”), but from the early 1960s with the island’s new American statehood status and the influx of rock’n’roll, a proliferation of new bands, night clubs and influential radio DJs like Tom Moffatt ushered in a boom in hybrid sounds. By the late ‘70s, the influence of bands like Earth Wind & Fire and Tower of Power had sparked a rich, close-knit soul scene on the islands led by jazz-funk innovators Seawind (CTI Records). Artists like Aura, Nohelani Cypriano and Mike Lundy shone brightly but relatively briefly through to the mid’-80s.The release was compiled and annotated by Roger Bong and features rare photos, original artwork, and liner notes detailing the contemporary music scene of this era.
Tracklist: 1. Tender Leaf – Countryside Beauty 2. Aura – Yesterday’s Love 3. ‘Āina – Your Light 4. Lemuria – Get That Happy Feeling 5. Roy & Roe – Just Don’t Come Back 6. Hawaii – Lady Of My Heart 7. Hal Bradbury – Call Me 8. Mike Lundy – Love One Another 9. Nova – I Feel Like Getting Down 10. Nohelani Cypriano – O’Kailua 11. Brother Noland – Kawaihae 12. Marvin Franklin With Kimo And The Guys – Kona Winds 13. Greenwood – Sparkle 14. Chucky Boy Chock & Mike Kaawa With Brown Co. – Papa’a Tita 15. Steve & Teresa – Kaho’olawe Song 16. Rockwell Fukino – Coast To Coast Praise from The Vinyl Factory:
Forget everything Martin Denny taught you about Hawaii, this is the true funky sound of paradise. What could be brighter for a cold December day than the news that Honolulu’s finest reissue label Aloha Got Soul will be curating an exhaustive 16-track double LP overview of the island’s soul, disco and AOR golden age for Strut Records? With our well-being in mind, Roger Bong has picked out a collection of shimmering gems, that emerged in the late ’70s and early ’80s as the island consumed and reworked the soul and disco sounds drifting over the pacific from the United States.
Roger Bong holds his personal copy of the compilation, featuring autographs from the artists.
Learn more about the compilation here.