Lani McIntire (sometimes spelled Lani McIntyre, 15 December 1904 – 17 June 1951) was a
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 ...
an guitar and
steel guitar player who helped to popularize the instrument, which eventually became a mainstay in American
country and western music. He played frequently with his brothers — steel guitar legend
Dick McIntire and bassist Al McIntire.
Lani McIntyre and his Aloha Islanders
McIntire achieved fame playing with
Sol Hoʻopiʻi in his "Novelty Trio" before heading his own acts, "Lani McIntyre and his Aloha Islanders" and later, "Lani McIntyre and his Hawai'ians." His work with
Jimmie Rodgers pioneered the Hawaiian guitar sound that laid the foundation for the steel guitar as a standard country instrument, influencing the likes of
Hank Williams
Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
and
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. As leader, McIntyre released dozens of records between 1935 and 1950, for the
American Record Corporation (1935),
Decca (1937-1942),
Sonora Records (1944 - 1945),
MGM Records (1950), and
(1950).
Death
On June 17, 1951, McIntire died of a heart attack during his sleep in his apartment in the Elmwood Hotel, 110 West Forty-Ninth Street, New York, New York. His wife, Helen, was with him.
Academy Award
McIntire and his Hawai'ians also worked with
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
on the original version of "
Blue Hawaii" as well as "
Sweet Leilani," which was popularized in the 1937 film ''
Waikiki Wedding'' and won an
Academy Award for Best Song in the
10th Academy Awards (over
George and
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
's "
They Can't Take That Away From Me").
The band had a recording contract with
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
at that time.
McIntire appeared in the films ''You're the One Rose'' (1943), ''Maui Chant'' (1943), ''Paradise Isle'' (1943) and ''Dreams of Old Hawaii'' (1944).
"Lani McIntyre,"
IMDB
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
. Retrieved 1 April 2007.
See also
* Sol Hoʻopiʻi
* Music of Hawaii
* American popular music
References
1904 births
1951 deaths
Steel guitarists
Decca Records artists
MGM Records artists
Columbia Records artists
20th-century American guitarists
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