Teresa Bright (1959 or 1960 – September 1, 2024) was an American vocalist and musician of native Hawaiian music who played ukulele and guitar. Her music is popular in Japan as well as in Hawaii and the United States mainland.
Much of her repertoire features lyrics in the
Hawaiian Language
Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...
, but she had an extensive jazz and
hapa-haole repertoire as well.
Biography
Bright attended the
University of Hawaiʻi
The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...
and launched her music career in the 1980s as one half of "Steve and Teresa" alongside Steve Mai`i. Her first solo album was released in 1990.
She received a lifetime achievement award from
Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts
The Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) was established in 1978 to stimulate interest in the local recording industry and the music of Hawaii. HARA became a nonprofit organization in 1981. A voluntary, 13 member-elected Board governs the Acad ...
on December 6, 2020.
Bright died on September 1, 2024, at the age of 64.
Japan
Bright was popular in Japan, and some of her albums are not released outside of the country.
[ Besides album sales, Bright also participated in Japanese advertising campaigns for ]Max Factor
Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz.
Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dollars), Max Fa ...
, Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
, NTT Japan, Sapporo Beer, and Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...
.
Okinawa
Her 2007 album, ''Hawaiinawa'', features popular Okinawan songs with lyrics translated into the Hawaiian Language.[
]
Awards
*2009 – Na Hoku Hanohano Award
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 ...
*1991 – Na Hoku Hanohano Award[
*1988 – Na Hoku Hanohano Award (shared with Steve Mai`i)]
Discography
*1981 ''Catching a Wave''
*1983 ''Ocean Blue''
*1986 ''Intimately''
*1990 ''Self Portrait''[
*1994 ''Painted Tradition''][
*1995 ''A Bright Hawaiian Christmas''][
*1996 ''Kapilina''][ and ''Quiet Girl''
*1997 Quiet Nights
*1998 ''Crossing the Blue''
*2000 ''A Christmas Season’s Delight''][
*2002 ''Lei Ana''][
*2004 ''A Gallery''][
*2006 ''Pretty Eyes''
*2007 ''Hawaiinawa''][
*2008 ''Tropic Rhapsody''
]
References
External links
Teresa Bright ''"He No O Honolulu"''
*
*
*Teresa Bright ~ Kawaikapu Hewett ka pilina "A Unique Collaboration" - Hale Pai. Pacific American-News Journa
20th-century births
2024 deaths
Year of birth missing
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni
Musicians from Honolulu
Singers from Hawaii
20th-century American songwriters
20th-century American singers
Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners
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