Moe Keale
| Moe Keale | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wilfrid Nalani Keale |
| Born |
December 3, 1939 Niihau, Territory of Hawaii |
| Died | April 15, 2002 (aged 62) Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Occupation(s) | Live performer |
| Instruments | Ukulele |
| Years active | 1958 – 2002 |
| Labels | Panini |
| Associated acts | Moe Keale & Anuenue, Eddie Kamae's Sons Of Hawai'i |
Wilfred Nalani "Moe" Keale (December 3, 1939 - April 15, 2002) was a musician of Hawaiian music, a ukulele virtuoso, and an American actor. He was the uncle and major musical influence of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
He was one of the few persons born in the 20th century to have pure Hawaiian ancestry. His father was a kahuna. Moe Keale was born on the island of Niihau, but raised on Oahu. He was shaped by the ancestral customs and values of his birthplace, learning to play the ukulele at the age of four. Conversations in his Niihau family home were in Hawaiian, and songs were passed from generation to generation. He would later fondly recall his summers on Niihau, where stress was not part of the lifestyle. "I figured that heaven must be something like Niihau," he said.
A native of Hawaii, he primarily had roles in movies and TV series that took place in the islands, including many appearances on Hawaii Five-O, where he had a recurring part as Truck Kealoha in the show's final season. He also appeared as Officer O'Shaughnessy in the Hawaiian-based NBC sitcom, 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 Waikiki Tavern circa 1958, followed by the Tropical Club in Kailua-Kona. 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 Hawaii 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 deejay on KCCN in the 1980s.
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