Frank Ferera

Frank Ferera

Frank Ferera (born June 12, 1885 in Honolulu , Kingdom of Hawaii ; † June 26, 1951 ; actually Frank Ferreira II. ) Was the first Hawaiian musician who had success with his records outside of Hawaii. He is considered one of the most influential musicians in Hawaiian music.

Life

Childhood and youth

Frank Ferera was born in Honolulu to Frank and Maria Ferreira. His parents were of Portuguese descent who, like many others, emigrated to Hawaii in the 19th century. As a child he was considered a talented musician and learned to play steel guitar and ukulele at an early age. It was influenced by early recordings by Hawaiian musicians from the 1890s.

Beginnings

Around 1905 he decided to pursue a career as a musician and ventured into the music business in Hawaii. Meanwhile, the inventor of the steel guitar Joseph Kekuku had already succeeded in making the steel guitar very popular through a tour in the USA, and the first record of Hawaiian music was also recorded in New York that year. In 1914 Ferera moved to the North American mainland and appeared there in 1915 at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco . In 1916 he married Eva Perkins, and a short time later they divorced. A little later he married Helen Greenus (* 1887 in Seattle ). Together with his wife, Ferera appeared in vaudevilles as Helen Louise and Frank Ferera .

After Richard Walton Tully's opera My Bird Of Paradise with Lauretta Taylor in the leading role was a success in 1912 , RCA Records began to release their first records with Hawaiian music (including by the Hawaiian quintet ); At the end of 1915, RCA marketed these records with romantically transfigured title covers, which often featured an island with a young woman. Drawing the covers evolved into an independent art called sheet music ; there were artists like the Starmer Brothers who specialized in drawing such covers.

Career

Hawaiian Echoes , ca.1919

Due to the genre's continued popularity, Ferera and his wife Helen got a record deal with Columbia Records . In a session in July 1915 in New York , the tracks My Old Kentucky Home , Medley Of Hawaiian Waltzes , Honolulu Rag and Kaiwa Waltz were recorded, with only the first two tracks being released. Ferera then took on his first record as a soloist under the name Palakiko Ferreira with Edison Records in 1915 , sometimes he also directed Palakiko's Hawaiian Orchestra . Like No Alike and Medley Of Hawaiian Hulas appeared on the Edison Phonograph Monthy Label in late September 1915 .

Frank Ferera and Helen Louis

All records sold well, so Ferera was allowed to record more records. In the final months of 1915 Edison stopped releasing records from Ferera and instead released songs by guitarists William Smith and Walter K. Kolomoku. Between 1916 and 1919 Ferera recorded countless records, including sales successes such as My Bird Of Paradise , Along The Way To Waikiki , In The Heart Of Hawaii or Aloha Land , which he recorded with either his wife Helen or his band The Hawaiian Trio .

In the years 1918 and 1919 Ferera visited his homeland Hawaii several times, where he also recorded for Columbia and Gennett Records . In 1918 he toured the United States with his wife Helen, so he had less time to record titles, and the demand for Hawaiian music fell slightly, as more patriotic soldiers' songs were desired during the First World War , which was quickly regulated after the end of the war .

In 1919 Ferera suffered a severe blow of fate: on a boat trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco , his wife Helen disappeared without a trace, to this day nothing is known about her disappearance. According to the Seattle Daily Times of December 19, 1919, Helen Louise Ferera left her cabin at four in the morning to take a walk on deck, when she did not return a search was started. It is believed that she was washed overboard because of the extremely heavy swell and wind. She was only 32 years old.

Despite the loss, Ferera continued to record and purposefully pursued his career. His new musical partner was Anthony Franchini, replacing Helen. He recorded for many different record companies, including Columbia Records and RCA Victor. In 1924 he worked successfully with Vernon Dalhart several times, for example on Dalhart's hit The Wreck Of The Old '97 . He also played with the first big country music star, Jimmie Rodgers, and later with the singing cowboy Gene Autry .

He also recorded Halls It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo ' with guitarist Al Bernard Wendell for Paramount and Cameo Records. Ferera became a sought-after duet partner, including with Jack Miller and Annette Hanshaw . Since Franchini had started to work increasingly with a guitarist in the mid-1920s, Ferera was now accompanied by the guitarist John K. Paaluhi.

At the end of the decade, Ferera was slowly supplanted by younger musicians such as Sol Hoopii , King Bennie Nawahi , Roy Smeck or Sam Ku West , who reached a wider audience through radio and cinema. He held his last RCA Victor session in 1926. Nevertheless, Ferera played successfully records until 1933, including with independent, smaller labels such as Montgomery Ward , Olympic Records and Velvet Tone Records . One of his last titles was Dreamin ' . With his third wife Ruth, who was to accompany him until the end of his life, he had two children, Mary and Frank III.

Frank Ferera died on June 26, 1951 at the age of 66. Because of his contributions to Hawaiian music, he was inducted into the Royal Steel Guitar Hall of Fame .

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Ferera's guitar playing was one of the most virtuoso of the time and he has long been the most influential musician in Hawaiian music. Robert Armstrong , another virtuoso on the steel guitar, once said of Ferera and Helen Louise: “Their intonation is clear and precise, which is very important in steel guitar playing as the musician relies on his good sense of intonation the metal bar on the strings. "( " Their intonation is clean and accurate, which is important in steel guitar playing since the performer has to rely on a good sense of pitch when sliding the bar or steel along the strings. " ). The bottleneck game is also attributed to him, others attribute this style established in the blues to Charley Patton .

Often Ferera was only accompanied by the ukulele or guitar, rarely other instruments such as mandolin , flute or cello were added. His rather reserved stage presence (Ferera often only sat on one chair and performed his pieces) was unusual for the generation marked by vaudeville; Usually tricks such as a role or a wheel flip were performed on the stage. Nevertheless, his influence on the styles of later musicians was great. Many subsequent Hawaiian musicians such as King Bennie Nawahi and country musician Cliff Carlisle later said they were influenced by Ferera's guitar playing.

Music samples

The Southern Blues can be heard unabridged in the Ogg Vorbis format. The piece was recorded by Ferera around 1924 (or also 1925?), It is also commonly referred to as the Guitar Duet , as it is a purely instrumental piece and Ferera recorded it together with John K. Paaluhi. The track was composed by Ferera with Paalihu, and was released by Diamond Records in 1925 on the B-side of the St. Louis Blues (catalog number 51616).

Publications

Title A side / B side	Record company	publication	Remarks
My Old Kentuck Home / Medley Of Hawaiian Waltzes	Columbia Records	July 1915
Including Like No Alike / Medley Of Hawaiian Hulas	Edison Recordings	1915	Pseudonym as Palakiko Fereirra
On The Beach At Waikiki / Moe Uhane Waltz	RCA Victor	1915
A Maia O Ka Maoli / Kawaihau	Par-O-Ket Records	?
Waia Luliluli / Moana Lua	Par-O-Ket Records	?
My Bird Of Paradise / Kaiwaihau Waltz	RCA Victor	1916
Maui Aloha / Pua Carnation	RCA Victor	1916
Ukulele blues	Par-O-Ket Records	1916	B-side from the Par-O-Ket Dance Orchestra
My Own Iona / My Lonely Lola Lo	RCA Victor	1916	together with the Sterling Trio
Yaddie Kaddie Kiddie Kaddie Koo / Everybody Hula	RCA Victor	1917
Palakiko blues	Columbia Records	1917	B-side not from Frank Ferera
Kilima Waltz / Ukulele Waltz	Par-O-Ket Records	1917
Along The Way To Waikiki	Columbia Records	1917	B-side not from Frank Ferera
Sweet Lei Lehua	Imperial Records	1917	B-side not from Frank Ferera
O Sole Mio	Columbia Records	1917	B-side not by Frank Ferera, duet with Irene Greenus
Maui Waltz / One, Two, Three, Four	Imperial Records	1917
Aloha Land / Hawaii, I'm Lonesome For You	RCA Victor	1917
Hawaiian Breezes Waltz	Edison Recordings	1918	B-side not from Frank Ferera
Hilo March / Kilima Waltz	Gennett Records	1919
Varge Bleue / Ciribiribin	Empire Records	1919
Christmas Waltz / La Paloma	Empire Records	1919
One, Two Three, Four Medley / Kamekameha Waltz	Gennet Records	1920	A-side from the Honolulu Trio
Wild Flower / Alabama Moon	RCA Victor	1920
Wailana Waltz / Beautiful Hawaii	Okeh Records	1920
Hawaiian Twilight / Drifting	Pathe Recordings	1920
Honolulu Rag / One, Two, Three, Four	Banner Records	1921
Dreamy Hawaii / Hawaiian Twilight	Banner Records	? (around 1921)
Dreamy Hawaii / Drowsy Waters	Gennet Records	1921	A-side from the Honolulu Trio
My Hawaiian Melody / Susquehanna Shore	Gennet Records	1922	as the Ferera Hawaiian Trio
Hawaiian Medley / Maui Waltz	Pathe Recordings	1922
Kawaha Waltz / Hilo March	Banner Records	1921/1922 (?)
O Sole Mio / Rio Nights	Banner Records	1922
O Sole Mio / Palakiko Blues	Gennet Records	1922
Maui Waltz / Hawaiian Hulas	Gennet Records	1922	as Frank Ferrera (!)
Sweet Hawaiian Girl Of Mine / My Old Kentucky Home	Banner Records	1922
Pua Mohala / Three O'Clock In The Morning	Banner Records	1922
Sweet Hawaiian Girl Of Mine / Monalua Hula	Banner Records	1922
My Sweet Sweeting / My Hawaiian Melody	Columbia Records	1923
One Little Smile / Maria Mari	Banner Records	1923
Chiri Chiri Bin / La Paloma	Banner Records	1923
Annie Laurie / Old Joe Clark	Banner Records	1923	B-side by Vernon Dalhart
Wearing Of The Green / Come Back To Erin	Banner Records	1923
Silver Threads Among The Gold / Ben Bolt	Banner Records	1923	as Ferera, Franchini and the Hawaiians
Twenty Five Years From Now / De Ducks Done Got Me	Aeolian Records	1924
Song Of The Volga Boatman / Senora	Banner Records	1924	B-side as Frank Ferera's Hawaiian Serenaders
Marcheta / Forget Me Not	Banner Records	1924	B-side as Frank Ferera's Hawaiian Serenaders
St. Louis Blues / In The Heart Of Hawaii	Columbia Records	1925	with Art Gillham
Dreamy Hawaii / Dark Hawaiian Eyes	Harmony Records	1925
St. Louis Blues / Southern Blues	Diamond Records	1925
La Golondriona / Drowsy Waters	Banner Records	1925
Cielito lindo / Ihu Okamoku	Banner Records	1925
Pulu Manu / Sweet Hawaiian Shore	Harmony Records	1926
Golden Showers / Laughing Eyes	Harmony Records	1926
In A Garden In Hawaii / Kona Waltz	Harmony Records	1926
Lady Of Waikiki / Always	Banner Records	1926
Kilima Waltz	RCA Victor	1926	B-side not from Frank Ferera
Drowsy Moon / My Hawaiian Evenin 'Star	Columbia Records	1926
Hawaiian Rose / My Hawaiian Star	Banner Records	1927
Honolulu Sweetheart / My Own Iona	Banner Records	1927	as Frank Ferera's Hawaiians
Winona / Charmaine!	Banner Records	1927	as Frank Ferera's Hawaiians
By The Calm Hawaiian Seas / My Blue Heaven	Banner Records	1927	B-side as Frank Ferera's Hawaiians
Hawaiian Eyes / Weeping Willow Lane	Banner Records	1927	as Frank Ferera's Hawaiians
Maui Chime	Cameo Records	1929	B-side not from Frank Ferera
When The Moon Comes Over The Mountains / Beautiful Love	Velvet Tone Records	1931
Dreamin '/ unknown	Montgomery Ward	1933

St. Louis Blues , 1925

In addition to the titles listed above, Frank Ferera recorded other titles with his wife Helen, and old recordings were often re-released. Advertisements for the record companies were also printed on the B-sides or titles by other musicians were published there, so some of the records listed here do not have a B-side. Ferera also often worked as a background musician for other singers such as Virginia Burt or Paul Whiteman , so it is difficult to make a complete discography.

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• biography
• Biography and discography
• Article about the steel guitar

Web links

Commons : Frank Ferera  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Aloha Land sung by Frank Ferera and Helen Ferera with the Hawaiian Orchestra
• The St. Louis March sung by Frank Ferera

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A complete representation of all covers can be found here ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Excerpt from: Popular American Recording Pioneers 1885-1925 by Tim Gracyk
3. ↑ Excerpt from: Popular American Recording Pioneers 1885-1925 by Tim Gracyk