Rudi Wairata
| Rudi Wairata | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Diederich Gijsbrecht Christo Wairata |
| Also known as | Rudy Wairata, Sam Letto, Roy Moana |
| Born | 25 December 1929 (1930?) Ternate, Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 15 July 1981 (aged 51) Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Hawaiian music |
| Occupation(s) | Music |
| Instruments | Steel guitar |
| Associated acts | The Amboina Serenaders, , Joyce Aubrey, Bill Kilima & His Cowboys, George de Fretes, Ke Aloha Hawaiian Strings, The Kilima Hawaiians, Ming Luhulima, The Mena Moeria Minstrels , Das Moana Quartett, The New Polynesians, Rudi Wairata & The Hawaiian Boys, Rudi Wairata & The Hawaiian Minstrels, Rudi Wairata & The Serenaders, Suara Nusantara (aka The Nusantara Serenaders), The Waikiki Islanders, Ron Wattimena |
| Notable instruments | |
| Steel guitar | |
Rudi Wairata aka Rudy Wairata(1929/1930 –1981) was an influential Indonesian musician who had fronted the Mena Moeria Minstrels and the Amboina Serenaders. Wairata's style of playing was influenced by Sol Hoʻopiʻi and Andy Iona. Along with George de Fretes he was a prominent musician in the genre of Hawaiian steel guitar music. His song "Rock'n Roll Breezes" may be the first Indo-rock song.
Wairati was born on Ternate, North Moluccas, Dutch East Indies, as 'Diederich Gijsbrecht Christo Wairati, son of Andries Egbert Wairata and Antoinetta Cornelia Meulenaar, on 25 December 1929 (or 1930 or 1932). He learned to play steel guitar by listening to Sol Ho'opi'i and Andy Iona records. His family moved to Yogyakarta, Java, when he was 11 years of age. There he worked to improve his steel guitar skills while studying, amongst others from George de Fretes. In 1949, his vocal group, a quartet called the Raindrops, along with the Jos Cleber Orchestra were broadcast on Radio Batavia. In 1950, he obtained a music scholarship for the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and went to the Netherlands.
In 1951, Wairata founded the group the Mena Moeria Minstrels in The Hague. This group featured Joyce Aubrey and Ming Luhulima. Having been successful with the Mena Moeria Minstrels, he started the Amboina Serenaders. This group had the same lineup as his previous group, with the addition of a vibraphone-player. In 1957, RCA released "Rock and Roll and Breezes" backed with "Mahalani Papado," credited to Rudi Wairata & His Hawaiian Minstrels. In 1958 Wairata joined the Kilima Hawaiians group. They recorded "Whistling Guitar," which featured Wairata making bird sound effects with his steel guitar. Wairata's Ambonese background was an influence on the sound of the band. The Kilima Hawaiians toured American service bases, after which Wairata remained in Germany. He was replaced by Coy Pereira.
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