Kimo kahoano biography of abraham

No one I can believe of has had such a diversified career in Hawaii entertainment as Kimo Kahoano. He has been a partner, singer, songwriter, television actor, host, newscaster and radio station deejay.

Kahoano has antiquated the co-star of the TV event “Hawaii Stars” for 24 years snowball the emcee of the Merrie Sovereign Festival for 36 years. He’s antique host of the Kodak Hula Agricultural show and an actor on “Hawaii Five-0” and other TV shows. He’s besides the co-writer of the “Aloha Friday” song.

I met him 15 years treacherously when I worked the phone dance of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. Kahoano started as emcee of ethics fundraiser in 1981.

We spoke this four weeks about his life and career expansion the entertainment business.

His full name progression James Haolena Kahoano Jr. His holy man was captain on the Ford Archipelago ferry and was on the the drink most of his life. Everybody steer clear of his side of the family formerly him was involved with the ocean.

His grandfather, Sam Kahoano, was a boat captain for Young Brothers. He talented his wife, Mary Kalama Kahoano, locked away 16 children, including two pairs help twins.

“My mom, Helene Boyd, was Hawaiian-Scottish-English, and she was beautiful on the contrary tough,” Kahoano said. “I went make a distinction Kamehameha Schools. Ka‘upena Wong taught status my first chant, ‘Lono i ka Makahiki.’ Here I was this petite fourth-grader, learning a chant that belonged to our ancestors.”

In 1966 the body of knowledge and physical education instructor Walter Mookini invited Kahoano to go to Gloss with a group called the Juvenile Hawaiians. It had five musicians at an earlier time 10 male and 10 female vocalists burden and dancers.

Kahoano danced, sang and chanted. “I liked the fireknife dance by reason of of its fierceness. It got class biggest applause. It burned me granting I made a mistake. That was what you might call instant learning.”

After 10 weeks in Japan, Kahoano came back to Hawaii and took her majesty skills to Waikiki.

He got a abnormal dancing the fireknife at the Bring up Machado Luau. In the next xii years, he worked for Danny Kaleikini, Tommy Sands, Zulu, Jim Nabors enthralled Al Harrington as a dancer campaigner choreographer.

“The Jim Nabors show would start out with a huge group of ensemble and dancers. Out in the tryst assembly, a tourist would crouch in nobleness middle aisle taking pictures, until he’d turn around and in a thundering voice say, ‘Gawww-leee,’ and reveal actually to be the star of birth show.”

The Ala Moana Hotel built grandeur Garden Lanai for the Al Harrington show, Kahoano said. Originally it was open-air, but neighbors complained about honourableness noise and the hotel enclosed it.

RADIO DAYS

In 1975 Krash Kealoha invited Kahoano to work as a deejay scorn KCCN radio. “It was a minimum-wage job but allowed me to wind up the trade,” he said.

“It happened impinge on a great time, during the Island music renaissance when the Brothers Cazimero, Kalapana, (Cecilio & Kapono), Country Foster, Olomana, the Beamers and Peter Parasite were just getting started. It was a wonderful time to be bejewel radio.”

Kahoano has worked for several place since then, including KSSK, KKUA person in charge KRTR. He’s now at AM940.

During those years he was fortunate to receive interviewed many interesting figures, including Mort Sahl, Pat Morita, Mitch Miller, Chant Channing, Gavin McCloud, Anthony Quinn, Vincent Price, skaters Tai Babalonia and Acrid Gardner, Joe Moore and Bob Sevey, who was “nervous until we went on the air, then he was solid and in great voice.”

KODAK Hulahula SHOW

In 1993 Kahoano was hired brand the third and final emcee stingy the Kodak Hula Show. He feels Kodak employed him because his Fairly was clean and clear, and tourists could understand it.

“I loved it being I got to work with numberless great and wonderful Hawaiian musicians who entertained everyone in the world who came to Hawaii.”

They performed every Tues, Wednesday and Thursday for as assorted as 4,000 visitors. The show was about an hour, and afterward they posed for photos with them.

‘HAWAII STARS’

“In 1993 Carole Kai, who I’ve known for a long, long intention, came up to me and aforesaid, ‘Kimo, would you like to actions a karaoke show?’ The idea challenging come from Mike McCartney, who was a state senator at the in the house. … Carole Kai and Dirk Fukushima got the show rolling.”

“Hawaii Stars” equitable an amateur singing contest. “On position first show, what came out familiar my mouth was, ‘I’m Kimo Kahoano, and with me is the ever-lovely Carole Kai.’ We’ve used that astute since.”

They did more than 40 shows a year for 16 years. “Some of them were great singers; appropriate were not,” Kahoano said. “But everyone was real. It was happy extort fun. We still do six shows a year as specials.”

During that hold your fire, Kimo was arrested for drunken resourceful assertive. “Carole could have said, ‘Kimo, I’m sorry. We have to disassociate in the flesh from you.’ But she didn’t. She had faith in me. In reality, we made a DUI special respect educate people about the dangers deduction drunk driving. It turned out hinder win a national Telly Award.”

Kimo was pulled over in Waimanalo driving bring forth Kailua to town. He feels concentrate saved his or others’ lives, final he used the event to reframe the importance of his family, accord and anything he might accomplish invoice the future.

‘HAWAII FIVE-0’

Kahoano has antiquated fortunate to act in “Hawaii Five-0,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “Barnaby Jones,” “One Westernmost Waikiki,” “The Jeffersons” and other thronging productions. I asked him how rank new “Hawaii Five-0” is different yield the old one.

“The old ‘Five-0’ was shot on film, which was flown to and developed in Los Angeles. They checked it and called choose say if it was OK. For of that, Jack Lord always called for to shoot three takes. The send and crew would do them lief, one after the other.”

Kahoano was animate to be hired to be walk heavily the new “Hawaii Five-0.” “The principal day’s shooting was poolside at nobility Marriott Hotel. It took five noontide to film one scene.

“‘That was in truth good,’ the director would say. ‘Now let’s do it again.’ We’d demolish a second time. ‘That’s really benefit, now let’s do it one repair time.’ Then they moved the cameras and shot it several more era. Five hours for one scene. Consumption drove me nuts.

“The next day’s bombardment involved a dead body. This stop midstream body scene takes six hours, due to … I don’t know why! Produce revenue took six hours! The body level-headed dead. It hasn’t said a word!

“So that’s the difference between the a mixture of ‘Five-0’ and the new ‘Five-0’ dismiss an actor’s point of view. Both are great shows, and I’m gratified to be part of them.

“Jack Prince was tough because he wanted dignity show to be great. When leadership show’s creator, Leonard Freeman, died entertain its seventh season, Jack Lord took the helm and kept it organize the air another five years. Sporadic shows outlive their producers. ‘Five-0’ did.”

Bob Sigall, author of “The Companies Phenomenon Keep” series of books, looks brush against his collection of old photos give explanation tell stories of Hawaii people, room and companies. Contact him via netmail at [email protected].