Hapa Haole Tunes: The Music of Johnny Noble May 3rd, 2012

Much of the world knows about Hawaiian music because of songs with titles like "My Little Grass Shack," "Hawaiian War Chant," and "Across the Sea." All are songs that Johnny Noble wrote, composed, or made popular, and represent a kind of music called "hapa haole (half Anglo)." This fun genre combines Hawaiian topics or themes with ragtime music sensibilities. Beginning with his first cowritten song, "Across the Sea" (1919), Johnny Noble contributed more than 100 songs to the genre, and was the first Hawaiian composer to be inducted into the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), in 1935. Listen in today to the wide range of topics and styles Johnny brought us.