Larry Ching
Larry Ching was a notable singer born on August 27, 1921, in Kauai, Hawaii, to a Chinese father and a Hawaiian mother. After being raised by his grandparents due to parental abandonment, he joined the Merchant Marine post-high school, where he taught himself to sing while listening to music at sea. Ching moved to San Francisco during the 1930s, a time when Chinatown was becoming a popular tourist destination featuring live entertainment in restaurants. He began his career as a singing bartender at the Chinese Village before becoming a headliner at the Forbidden City, a renowned supper club that showcased Asian talent and attracted numerous celebrities.
Ching's singing flourished during the 1940s and 1950s, where he performed six nights a week, earning tips by singing requests and occasionally facing racial prejudice from patrons. His talent was recognized by prominent figures like Hoagy Carmichael, who invited him to appear on his radio show. Following the closure of the Forbidden City in 1961, Ching transitioned to a career as a truck driver but saw a revival in his musical career later in life through a documentary and a collaborative album. In 2003, he was honored by San Francisco's mayor, who declared June 28 as Larry Ching Day. Ching passed away in July 2003, leaving behind a legacy as a significant figure in Asian American entertainment.
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Subject Terms
Larry Ching
Singer
- Born: August 27, 1921
- Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii
- Died: July 5, 2003
- Place of death: San Francisco, California
Remembered for his immense repertoire of songs as well as his charming stage presence, Larry Ching thrived as a crooner in one of San Francisco’s most celebrated Chinatown nightclubs. He challenged Asian stereotypes in his performances, singing to predominantly non-Asian audiences. A crooner in the style of singer Bing Crosby, Ching’s tenor voice was a feature of San Francisco entertainment for over two decades.
Birth name: Larry Ching
Areas of achievement: Music
Early Life
Larry Ching was born on August 27, 1921, in Kauai, Hawaii. The son of a Chinese father and a Hawaiian mother, he grew up with his grandparents in Hawaii after being abandoned by his parents. Ching did not receive any formal musical training in his youth. After graduating high school, he joined the Merchant Marine and taught himself to sing while listening to recordings at sea.
During the 1930s, Ching relocated to San Francisco. Following the Californian gold rush of the late nineteenth century, the San Francisco district of Chinatown had become an established tourist destination in the city, featuring exotic shops and Chinese restaurants. In order to set themselves apart from the competition, many Chinese restaurants began featuring live music as well as dance performances. Beginning his musical career as a singing bartender at the Chinese Village in Chinatown, Ching eventually developed into a prominent headliner at the Forbidden City.
Life’s Work
Ching’s singing career flourished during the 1940s and 1950s, when he began performing exclusively at the supper club known as the Forbidden City. Located in Chinatown, the Forbidden City opened in December 1939. The owner, Charlie Low, held three-night all-Asian revues, which included singing and dancing as well as performances by comedians, magicians, and acrobats. Bandleader Al Wallace led a ten-piece house orchestra at the club. Restaurants in Chinatown sought to satisfy the tastes of non-Asian customers, and in the 1930s, these tastes included live entertainment. The ritzy Chinese American club accommodated around three hundred patrons, and the one-hour shows attracted celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, Duke Ellington, and Lena Horne.
During this period, the practice of comparing Asian American stars with established national headliners became popular. Promoters began linking Asian performers with their non-Asian counterparts. For example, entertainer Toy Yat Mar was known as the Chinese Sophie Tucker and dancer Paul Wing as the Chinese Fred Astaire. To Ching’s displeasure, The Forbidden City billed him as the Chinese Frank Sinatra. Ching himself preferred the voice of Crosby to that of Sinatra.
Six nights a week, Ching performed three shows from seven o’clock at night to two in the morning. He earned tips by singing requests for his audiences, which often required him to ad-lib. Ching experienced racism at the club, with patrons occasionally shouting racial slurs. These incidents sometimes led to fistfights. In the 1940s, bandleader Hoagy Carmichael recognized Ching’s talent and invited Ching to multiple appearances on his weekly radio variety show.
In 1961, the Forbidden City closed. Recognizing its decline, Ching quit a year before the celebrated club permanently shut down. He moved to Oakland, California, accepting a job as a delivery truck driver for local newspapers and settling down to raise a family. He retired as a truck driver in 1985. The 1989 documentary Forbidden City USA featured Ching’s legendary performances at the Forbidden City, resulting in the temporary revival of Ching’s singing career. In 2003, Ching collaborated on the compact disc Till the End of Time, which included jazz standards with pianist George Yamasaki, songs from his native Hawaii, and remastered recordings from the 1940s. In recognition of Ching’s historic significance and marvelous voice, San Francisco mayor Willie Brown declared June 28 to be Larry Ching Day. Ching died in July 2003.
Significance
Ching served as one of the most popular entertainers of the legendary club the Forbidden City during the 1940s and 1950s. Reminiscent of Bing Crosby’s crooning, Ching’s sentimental manner of singing gained national attention. In his eighties, Ching saw a momentary revival of his singing career, which helped his talent become recognized by a new generation of music fans.
Bibliography
Fong-Torres, Ben. Becoming Almost Famous: My Back Pages in Music, Writing, and Life. San Francisco: Backbeat, 2006. Print. A collection of essays on music, including a section on the singer Larry Ching.
Lee, Anthony W. Picturing Chinatown: Art and Orientalism in San Francisco. Berkeley: U of California P, 2001. Print. Portrays San Francisco’s Chinatown history from its 1850 to 1950, examining its society and portrayal.
Spiller, Harley. “Late Night in the Lion’s Den: Chinese Restaurant-Nightclubs in 1940s San Francisco.” Gastronomica 4.4 (2004): 94–101. Print. Portrays the scene of the historic San Francisco nightclub that featured an all-Chinese show. Highlights the singer Larry Ching.