Richard Hiram Jensen (April 9, 1942 – June 21, 2006), was a musical performer of the

Rhythm and Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, and

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

genres. His signature on-stage style incorporated strenuous dance moves similar to those of

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of th ...

. He was born in

Kalihi Kalihi is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, United States. Split by Likelike Highway (Route 63), it is flanked by Liliha, Chinatown, and Downtown Honolulu to the east and Mapunapuna, Moanalua, and Salt Lake t ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

Biography

Jensen was a native Hawaiian athletic song stylist whose "white hot soul" electrified audiences. He was of Hawaiian, French, Danish, English and Irish descent. A graduate of

Farrington High School Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School is a public secondary school (grades 9-12) located in the Kalihi district of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The school is part of the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex Area of the Honolulu ...

, he first used the stage name Lance Curtis. He was a main showroom caliber draw who filled rooms at the Outrigger Waikiki, the Oceania Floating Restaurant, Hilton Hawaiian Dome, Reef Towers Polynesian Palace and the Hula Hut. By 1968, this one-time opening act for the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

had become an international performer, signing with Don Costa Productions and began performing at the El Quid in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. He often divided his career between the islands and

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Jensen earned the sobriquet "The Giant" because of his tall stature, but he had a talent to match that nickname. His vocal stylings came deep from his Hawaiian soul, as he danced around the stage. Some have compared seeing his physicality on stage to watching the seemingly effortless glide of a professional ice skater. In 1970, he was appearing at the Century Plaza in New York City, in his debut of that city. In 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, he appeared at the Copacabana in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, aptly being compared to

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

, the superstar most analogous to Jensen's onstage style. He branched out into acting with guest starring roles on popular television shows. In 1982, he appeared on

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...

when it was broadcast from Hawaii. In his later years, Jensen became a

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

evangelical Christian minister. He died of

Lou Gehrig's Disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lo ...

, complicated by heart surgery and a series of mini-strokes, which took his legs before it took his life on June 21, 2006. Jensen was survived by his wife Toni, daughters Summer Jensen, Renee Jensen-Oliveira of Honolulu and Nikeila Jensen of Los Angeles, daughter Jennifer Garcia of Las Vegas, and son Brandon Jensen of Honolulu. He also had three grandchildren.

Discography

*''White Hot Soul'' (1969) LP album 519361 (Probe) *''Real Good Woman / Bird You Must Fly'' (1970) promo single CP479 (Probe) *''Dick Jensen'' (1973) LP album KZ31794 (Philadelphia International) *''Dick Jensen'' (1973) LP album EPC65591 (Epic) *''Going Up The Mountain'' (1973) single EPC 1395 (Epic) *''Peace of Mind / New York City's A Lonely Town'' (1973) single ZS73542 (Epic) *''Giant Of Hawaii'' (1975) LP album (Record Club Of Honolulu)

Television work

*''The Islander'' (1978) *''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' *''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980, to May 1, 1988, during its first-run broadcast on ...

'' (1986) *'' Island Son'' (1989) *''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. Created by Dean Hargrove and Joel Steiger, the ser ...

'' (1989)

Awards

On November 5, 2005, Jensen received a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, commemorating his distinguished contributions to that city's entertainment. The

Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

awarded Jensen the 2006 Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award. Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Dick 1942 births 2006 deaths 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century evangelicals American male television actors Musicians from Honolulu Male actors from Hawaii American people of Native Hawaiian descent American people of French descent American people of Danish descent American people of English descent American people of Irish descent People from Oahu American performers of Christian music Male actors from Honolulu American evangelicals 20th-century American musicians Native Hawaiian musicians Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners Neurological disease deaths in Hawaii Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United States Philadelphia International Records artists Epic Records artists 20th-century American male actors