Tennessee, the birthplace of country and western music. Right?
This might be true but country and western pulled some of it’s sound from Hawaii by borrowing one instrument: the steel guitar!
Why is it country and western? Was there a difference? The answer is yes.
In the 20’s, country music was actually called hillbilly music. Hillbilly music or actually Appalachian music originated in the Eastern United States, places like Tennessee and Kentucky. Hillbilly music was a bare bones sort of country. Songs were simple and basic that could easily be played with a handful of musicians. Instruments include the guitar, banjo, harmonica and the steel guitar.
Check out this tune. It’s called There’ll Be No Kisses Tonight by Ashley’s Melody Men. Recorded in 1929
And there was western music.
Western music came out of the west, like Oklahoma and Wyoming. Think cowboys; think the lonesome prairie and the open range, think cowboys camping under the night sky eating beans out of a can. Western music would be their soundtrack. Instruments used would be guitar, fiddle, harmonica and steel guitar. Western music rose to popularity in the 30’s and 40’s.
Here’s Leon McAuliffe playing San Antonio Rose
On the music billboard charts country music and western music were combined to be country and western and over time the musical styles of each started to crossover with each other. Eventually country and western became just country.
The steel guitar was used back then and is still used to this day in country music. But way before guys wearing cowboy hats were playing the steel guitar, guys wearing leis and aloha shirts were plucking and sliding on steel guitars in Hawaii.
The steel guitar was invented in Hawaii in late 19th century and is sometimes called the Hawaiian guitar. The ukulele is usually the first instrument that comes to mind when you think about Hawaiian music but start thinking of a Hawaiian tune and melody played on a steel guitar comes sliding in.
As a guitar player myself I can tell you that playing a steel guitar may seem easy at first but it is hard to master. First, the guitar is tuned differently so a full chord can be played with the slide. Also, how you play the steel guitar is way different. First you sit down with the guitar on your lap with the neck facing up then you still have to pluck the strings but at an unusual angle. Playing is a little tricky.
There was many steel guitar players from Hawaii that were incredible. Some players include…
Lani McIntire
Here is a clip of Lani McIntire playing Paradise Isle
King Bennie Nawahi
Here is King Benny Nawahi Tickling The Strings
And Sol Hoopii
Here is Sol Hoopii’s Novelty Trio playing 12th Street Rag
Hawaiian music was huge back around the turn of the century along with a love and fascination with Hawaii and the Polynesian. Americans loved Hawaiian music and many bought their own ukuleles and steel guitars to learn to play themselves. By the 20’s Hawaiian music made up a fourth of all music being released. Most people back then couldn’t afford to travel to Hawaii but with Hawaiian music, they at least had the soundtrack!
The talents of these Hawaiian musicians were not unnoticed. Country and western performers heard Hawaiian music and borrowed some of it’s sound. If you listen to early Hawaiian music and early country and western you will notice that both are very similar, the only thing that’s different is the subject matter.
The next time you listen to a country tune and you hear that slide guitar coming in, you’ll know where it came from. Not Tennessee, not Oklahoma but Hawaii!
