Sol Hoopii
Sol Hoopii, born Solomon Hoopii in 1902 in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a prominent Hawaiian musician known for his exceptional skills on the ukulele and guitar from a young age. By his teenage years, he had mastered the Hawaiian steel guitar and became a key figure in the Hawaiian music scene during the 1920s. In 1926, he formed the Sol Hoopii Novelty Trio, which gained international recognition as Hawaiian music surged in popularity across America and Europe. The trio's recordings established Hoopii as an international star, and he appeared in various films, earning the nickname "the Hollywood Hawaiian."
Despite a successful music career, Hoopii shifted his focus in 1938 to gospel music after joining the Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Throughout his life, he innovated within his genre, incorporating blues and jazz techniques into his work, and was known for his unique use of C# minor tuning for slide guitar. Even after losing his eyesight, he continued to perform and preach until his death from pneumonia at the age of fifty-one. Hoopii's influence extended beyond his own performances, as he trained many students who furthered his musical legacy.
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Subject Terms
Sol Hoopii
Musician
- Born: 1902
- Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
- Died: November 16, 1953
- Place of death: Seattle, Washington
Sol Hoopii was a Hawaiian slide guitar player who became an internationally known recording artist in the 1920s and 1930s. His music was featured in a number of films and cartoon shorts from the era. He influenced hundreds of slide guitar players and is known as one of the most innovative artists in the history of the instrument.
Birth name: Solomon Hoopii Kaaiai
Areas of achievement: Music, film
Early Life
One of twenty-one children, Solomon Hoopii was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1902. He was considered a prodigy on the ukulele by age three and had transitioned to guitar by age six. By the time he was a teenager, Hoopii was playing the Hawaiian steel guitar.
In 1919, Hoopii and two friends stowed away aboard the passenger liner Matsonia, headed for San Francisco. Hoopii later recounted that he and his friends were caught by the ship’s crew but managed to avoid punishment by playing music for the passengers, who pitched in to pay their fare. They played engagements in San Francisco and Los Angeles before Hoopii’s two friends decided to move back to Hawaii.
Life’s Work
In 1926, Hoopii formed another group, the Sol Hoopii Novelty Trio, with ukulele player Glenwood Leslie and guitarist Lani McIntire. Hoopii began his career just as a Hawaiian music craze was developing both in America and Europe. Hawaiian-themed music appeared on the radio and in films, and Hawaiian bands were in demand around the world.
The Sol Hoopii Novelty Trio’s recordings between 1926 and 1931 made Hoopii an international star by the early 1930s. Hoopii was asked to perform in a number of films, including those of actors Mary Pickford and Dick Powell, and his music was featured in several of the popular Charlie Chan detective movies, earning him the nickname the Hollywood Hawaiian. His music was also featured in the 1937 Bing Crosby romantic comedy Waikiki Wedding and in Betty Boop cartoon shorts.
In 1938, Hoopii ended his career as a popular recording artist. He joined the evangelist group Church of the Foursquare Gospel, led by famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, and dedicated himself to gospel music. Even after losing his eyesight, Hoopii continued performing gospel music and preaching until he died of pneumonia at age fifty-one.
Significance
Hoopii was an innovator, using blues and jazz techniques to give his arrangements a distinct sound. His music influenced hundreds of musicians, and he personally trained several students who went on to achieve fame and spread Hoopii’s unique musical style. Hoopii was one of the first slide guitarists to use C# minor tuning, which allowed him to explore a different palette of chords than those available using standard slide guitar tunings.
Bibliography
Apell, Glen, and Dave Hemphill. American Popular Music: A Multicultural History. Florence: Wadsworth, 2006. Print. Covers the Hawaiian music craze of the 1920s and 1930s.
Doyle, Peter. Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording, 1900–1960.Middletown: Wesleyan UP, 2005. Print. A history of early twentieth-century music recording that covers Hoopii, among other major figures of Hawaiian guitar.
Ruymar, Lorene, and the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Foundation. The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Milwaukee: Centerstream, 1996. Print. A history of Hawaiian guitar and the most famous players from the islands and mainland, including Hoopii.