Frank Ferera
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Frank Ferera (June 12, 1885 - June 26, 1951) was a Hawaii
musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...
who recorded successfully between 1915 and 1930. He was the first star of Hawaiian music and influenced many later artists.


Biography

Frank Ferera was born in
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1885 of Portuguese ancestry. Ferera first visited mainland
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as part of the Keoki E Awai troupe, which had been booked to entertain at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The band's performance was witnessed by
Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
, who issued two solo songs by Ferera on his record label. He married Helen Louise Greenus, daughter of Seattle businessman Albert E. Greenus, and toured with her through the USA, appearing in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
. In 1916, they signed a contract with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
and recorded prolifically. They also recorded for
Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
, and their "Drowsy Waters" was a major success, selling more than 300,000 copies. The duo also recorded two new discs for Edison. In 1917, Ferera's sister-in-law Irene Greenus joined as a vocalist. As a duo or a trio, the group's discography included releases on several other labels including Gennett, Paramount, Lyric, Pathe Imperial, and Empire. Ferera also began a guitar partnership with Anthony Franchini that lasted over seven years. On December 12, 1919, Frank and Helen were on board the steamship ''SS President'', from
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
back to their home in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Frank reported that Helen had gone on deck for a walk at 4 a.m. and never returned. After a search failed to turn up the missing Mrs. Ferera, she was presumed lost at sea. In 1924, Frank played guitar accompaniment to Vernon Dalhart's ballad " Wreck of the Old 97" (Victor Record No. 19427), sometimes cited as the first million-selling country music release in the American record industry. In the late 1920s, during a wave of Hawaiian music popularity, Frank Ferera's Hawaiian Trio recorded a number of songs with jazz singer Annette Hanshaw, including: "Was It A Dream?", "For Old Time's Sake", "Get Out and Get Under the Moon", "I Love A Ukulele", "Lonely Nights In Hawaii", "Chiquita", "Maui Girl", "Sonny Boy", "Sweet Lei Lehua", "Carolina Moon", "Maui Chimes", "Pagan Love Song", "Singing in the Rain", "Ua No a Like - Sweet Constancy", and "Forget Me Not", "Lazy Louisiana Moon", and "Pale Blue Waters". While Ferera was the first commercially successful Hawaiian recording artist in the teens, by the late 1920s, a new wave of steel guitarists, including Sol Hoʻopiʻi, were upstaging him. Ferera is estimated to have played guitar on more than 2,000 discs. Ferera married three times. He died on June 26, 1951, due to complications following a stroke. He was survived by his third wife, Ruth, son Frank Ferreira III and daughter Mary Ferreira.Popular American recording pioneers, 1895-1925 By Tim Gracyk, Frank W. Hoffman

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Singles

* ''My Old Kentucky Home'' * ''Kilima Waltz'' * ''Along The Way To Waikiki'' * ''Maui Chime'' * ''Southern Blues'' * ''Dreamin


References


External links

* *
Frank Ferera recordings
at the
Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferera, Frank 1885 births 1951 deaths Musicians from Honolulu Gennett Records artists American people of Portuguese descent