When it comes to Hawaiian music artists, Kui (Kuiokalani) Lee is a singer/songwriter that is well-known for his musical talent, but also a talent who passed away too soon.
While he is known for writing songs that was popularized by Don Ho and writing the popular song “I’ll Remember You” (1964) which would be covered by Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, Roger Williams, Tommy Sands (and other artists internationally) and most famously by Don Ho.
But for me, its the life he live that I felt inspiring. Kui Lee is a music artist where hardwork and perseverance comes to mind.
Kui worked for the Coast Guard and traveled to the US mainland. Trying to find his footing, he became a knife dancer in Los Angeles, New York and Puerto Rico after watching experienced Samoan dancers and even appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
But through working as a dancer, he met the woman who would become his wife, Hula Dancer Rose Frances Naone “Nani” Keinani. When Kui moved back to Hawaii in 1961, Rose worked at the Honey’s Club with Don Ho. It was then when Lui taught himself to sing.
Kui eventually got a job at Nawiliwili Beach Park’s Jetty Club in Kauai and worked as a doorman at the Honey Club in Kaneohe, which happened to be owned by Don Ho’s mother.
Kui would write music and Don would perform his songs and meet success. Lee convinced Ho to let him perform as a singer on the club and the once knife dancer would start to make $2,000 weekly (which is equivalent to around $17,385 in 2020) and also got to perform with his wife.
Kui and Nani would have four children and Kui would write “I’ll Remember You” dedicated to his wife and children.
By 1965, Honolulu radio DJ Hal Lewis said of Kui, “Kui is a gold mind for his songwriting alone. His music could be worth $10 to $15 million to him. The kid’s ready right now.” and Kui would sign a five-year contract with Music of Polynesia’s Palm Records.
And as everything was looking great for Kui Lee careerwise, it was also a dark time as Lee was diagnosed with lymph gland cancer. He underwent radiation therapy and despite being sick, he still performed and recorded his debut single “Ain’t No Big Thing” along with the c/w song “All I want to Do”.
Unfortunately, the cancer metastasized to his lungs and hen went to a hospital in Los Angeles for lung surgery. Local artists held a benefit concert to pay for his medical expenses and on October 1966, in a wheelchair, he was unable to sing but his latest composition was “The Intangible Dream Came True” was sung by his wife.
In November 1966, he released his second single “Rain, Rain Go Away” which would come with his c/w song “I’ll Remember You”.
Kui would travel to Tijuana, Mexico to seek a treatment with laetrile, which was banned in America by the FDA as he didn’t want cobalt or radiation therapy. But the singer would eventually die on December 3, 1966 at Guadalajara Hospital.
Kui’s wish was to be buried at sea and 90 mourners accompanied his casket to the ocean where mourners on boats played Kui Lee’s music and 10,000 orchids were dropped from a plan to and his lei-covered casket was released to the waters.
Columbia Records would eventually release the album “The Extraordinary Kui Lee”. Lee was regarded by his fanbase as a rebel for not sticking to traditional Hawaiian music and was not into mainstream stereotypes of Hawaiian music and some compared him to James Dean.
Even not wanting to wear a suit when performing, Kui Lee did things his way. In fact, he was the most admired person by Hawaii’s youth in a poll published by “The Honolulu Advertiser” months before his death.
Listening to his music, while considered as Hawaiian music, Kui Lee just happens to be from Hawaii, but his music is pure rock music of the time. Many can find comparisons with Lee and Bob Dylan and a few other artists. His music and lyrics was his own and the sad thing about it is that while Kui Lee will live on as a legendary singer/songwriter, the truth is that he was starting to become recognized for his music and no one knows how much success he would have received in the mainland.
But if there is one thing that we are fortunate, it’s that his music lives on forever.
May it be through his album “The Extraordinary Kui Lee”, through Don Ho albums or covers by artists worldwide, Kui Lee did leave his handprints in music, despite being a music artist who passed away too soon.
“I’ll Remember You” which was popularized worldwide by Elvis Presley is a fantastic song by Kui Lee, the two Hawaiian track on the album, “Ka Makani Ka ‘ili Aloha” is beautiful and “Na Ali’l” is upbeat and fun, “Goin’ Home”,”Ain’t No Big Thing”, “All I want to Do”, “Get On Home” no doubt gives you Bob Dylan vibes but these are wonderful Kui Lee songs and the album’s 12th song ends with “No Other Song”.
It’s a shame that Kui Lee’s own songs are not widely available today digitally, but at least “The Extraordinary Kui Lee” is available and it’s an album worth owning!
