Wilfred Nalani "Moe" Keale (December 3, 1939 – April 15, 2002) was an American musician of

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...

, a ʻukulele virtuoso, and an

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He was the uncle and major musical influence of

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Braddah IZ or just simply IZ, was a Native Hawaiian musician and singer. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians from Hawaii and is considered the most succe ...

. He died from a heart attack on 15 April 2002, aged 62.

Early life

He was one of the few persons born in the 20th century to have full Hawaiian ancestry. His father was a

kahuna Kahuna (; ) is a Hawaiian word that refers to an expert in any field. Historically, it has been used to refer to doctors, surgeons and dentists, as well as priests, ministers, and sorcerers. Background A may be versed in agriculture,Archiv ...

. Moe Keale was born on the island of

Niʻihau Niihau (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is southwest of Kauai, Kauai across the Channels of the Hawaiian Islands#Kaulakahi Channel, Ka ...

, but raised on

Oʻahu 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 ...

. He was shaped by the ancestral customs and values of his birthplace, learning to play the ʻukulele at the age of four. Conversations in his Niʻihau family home were in Hawaiian, and songs were passed from generation to generation. He would later fondly recall his summers on Niʻihau, where stress was not part of the lifestyle. "I figured that heaven must be something like Niʻihau," he said.

Career

A native of

Hawaiʻi 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 ...

, he primarily had roles in movies and TV series that took place in the islands, including many appearances on ''

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 ...

'', where he had a recurring part as Truck Kealoha in the show's final season. He also appeared as Officer O'Shaughnessy on the Hawaiian-based

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

, '' The Brian Keith Show''. He was a beachboy, musician and singer, part-time electrician, and radio deejay, as well as an actor. His first paid musical gig with his group the Four K's was at the Waikīkī Tavern circa 1958, followed by the Tropical Club in

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is most commonly referred to simply as Kona (a name it shares with the district to which it belongs), but also as Kona To ...

. In 1964, he worked with the Puka Puka Otea Tahitian Show at Queen's Surf. He was recruited for a New York city gig when he was seen at a beach doing high dives off a simulated waterfall. His most noted role as Truck on ''Hawaii Five-O'' came as a result of his working as an electrician on the set. Keale and Eddie Kamae struck up a musical partnership that led to Moe becoming part of the Sons of Hawaiʻi in 1969, and he remained with the group until 1977. He then went on to make three solo albums ''South Sea Island Magic'', ''Aloha Is A Part of Me, A Part of You'', and ''Imagine''. He was a DJ on KCCN in the 1980s. From 1984 onward, he and his band played two evenings a week poolside at the Sheraton Waikīkī. At the time of his death, he was a hands-on co-owner of the Lomi Shop's Keiki Waʻa at the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Resort and Spa at Windward Mall. The Lomi Shop promoted the art of healing through lomilomi massage. Moe had a near-fatal heart attack in April 2001 and received a pacemaker implant. He used his extension on life to raise $260,000 for the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

, in order to have portable defibrillators strategically positioned throughout the state of Hawaii. He died on 15 April 2002 from a heart attack, aged 62.

Recognition

In 2003, the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts instituted the Moe Keale "Aloha Is" Award in its

Na Hoku Hanohano Awards The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

. Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts

Discography

*''Hawaii's Treasure: Uncle Moe Keale Live in Waikiki'' CD 0888 (Booklines) *''South Sea Island Magic'' (2000) CD 2059 (Mountain Apple) *''Imagine'' (1996) CD 1005 (Ord) *''Aloha Is a Part of Me'' (1995) CD 6426 (Surfside)

Filmography

*''

Picture Bride The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers (chiefly Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean) in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil selecting brides from their nat ...

'' (1994)

Film and Television work

*'' The Brian Keith Show'' (1972, TV Series) - Officer O'Shaugnessy *''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to ...

'' (1976, TV Series) - Davis' Thug *''Danger in Paradise'' (1977, TV Movie) - Garfield *'' Big Hawaii'' (1977, TV Series) - Garfield Kalahani *''Stickin' Together'' (1978) - Big Ben Kalkini *''The Islander'' (1978, TV Movie) - Henchman *''Pearl'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) - Sergeant *''

The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove ''The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove'' (also known as ''Wonderland Cove'') is an American six-episode Drama (Film and television), drama miniseries which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC during the 1978–79 United States network televisi ...

'' (1979, TV Series) - Big Ben Kalikini *''The Paradise Connection'' (1979) - Driver *''

'' (1971–1980, TV Series) - Joe Moala, Det. Truck Kealoha *''M Station: Hawaii'' (1980) - Truck Kealoha *''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts for ABC. It originally aired from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, airing for five seasons consisting of 115 episodes. It was produ ...

'' (1980, TV Series) - Chin *'' Hawaiian Heat'' (1984, TV Movie) - Jinbo *''

Gidget's Summer Reunion ''Gidget's Summer Reunion'' is a 1985 American made-for-television adventure comedy-drama film produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired in syndication on June 1, 1985. It was written by Robert Blees and George Zateslo, directed by Bru ...

'' (1985, TV Movie) - Bob the Driver *''Blood and Orchids'' (1986, TV Movie) - Roy Manakula *''

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 ...

'' (1981–1987, TV Series) - Mortie the car rental dealer / Granville / Kaholo *''

'' (1994) - Hawaiian fisherman *''Hawaii Five-O'' (1997, TV Movie) - Truck (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keale, Moe 1939 births 2002 deaths People from Oahu Native Hawaiian musicians Male actors from Hawaii Native Hawaiian people People from the Territory of Hawaii People from Niihau 20th-century American musicians