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(1981-07-15) (aged 51) [1]
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[2](1929/1930 –1981) was an influential Indonesian musician who had fronted the Mena Moeria Minstrels and the Amboina Serenaders.[3] Wairata's style of playing was influenced by Sol Hoʻopiʻi and Andy Iona.[4] Along with George de Fretes he was a prominent musician in the genre of Hawaiian steel guitar music.[5] His song "Rock'n Roll Breezes" may be the first Indo-rock song.

Background

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[1] (or 1930 or 1932).[6] 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.[1] In 1949, his vocal group, a quartet called the Raindrops, along with the Jos Cleber Orchestra were broadcast on Radio Batavia.[7] In 1950, he obtained a music scholarship for the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and went to the Netherlands.[1]

In 1951, Wairata founded the group the Mena Moeria Minstrels in The Hague.[8] This group featured Joyce Aubrey and Ming Luhulima.[9] 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.[10] In 1957, RCA released "Rock and Roll and Breezes" backed with "Mahalani Papado," credited to Rudi Wairata & His Hawaiian Minstrels.[11][12] In 1958 Wairata joined the Kilima Hawaiians group. They recorded "Whistling Guitar," which featured Wairata making bird sound effects with his steel guitar.[13] Wairata's Ambonese background was an influence on the sound of the band.[14] The Kilima Hawaiians toured American service bases, after which Wairata remained in Germany.[15] He was replaced by Coy Pereira.[16]

He worked in Germany for 13 or 14 years, during which he performed as a solo artist and sometimes with his wife.[15] From 1961 to 1963, he recorded with Das Moana Quartett, a group that featured Ron Wattimena, also known as Ronnie Watti, who in the 1970s would record under the name of Peter Waaldrecht. The group had a single and three EPs released in 1961 mostly for the Ariola label. Their last single was "Kaiwahu-Marsch," whose B-side was "On the beach of Waikiki," in 1963.[17] During his time in Germany he recorded three albums.

He returned to the Netherlands in 1974, when he formed a recording group called The New Polynesians. Their debut album was issued on the Delta Records label.[15]

In 1976, his album The Suara Nusantara was released on the EMI-Bovema label.[18]

Death

Rudi Wairata died in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1981.[19]

Rudi Wairata discography

Singles
Albums

Rudi Wairata & His Mena Moeria Minstrels

Rudi Wairata & the Amboina Serenaders

Singles
Extended play
Albums

Rudi Wairata and his Hawaiian Minstrels

Singles

Rudi Wairata & his Serenaders

Ke Aloha Hawaiian Strings

Singles

Das Moana Quartett

Singles
Extended play

Rudy Wairata & his Hawaiian Boys

Singles

Rudy Wairata and his Kilima Hawaiians

Albums

Rudi Wairata Und Sein Hula Girls

Rudy Wairata and the Oriental Four

References

  1. ↑ The Komedie Stamboel: Popular Theater in Colonial Indonesia, 1891-1903 Matthew Isaac Cohen Page 442
  2. ↑ Billboard August 1, 1981 Page 66 General News, Deaths
  3. ↑ The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians by Lorene Ruymar Cultural Influences Page 76
  4. ↑ Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world John Shepherd Page 263
  5. ↑ The Waikiki Islanders Website Rudi Wairata
  6. ↑ The Hawaiian Music Foundation Vol 1. No. 6 June 1975 ARTIST IN PROFILE, Rudi Wairata Page 3
  7. ↑ Dutch Exotica Artists 15. The Mena Moeria Minstrels – South Sea Breeze
  8. ↑ Recollecting Resonances: Indonesian-Dutch Musical Encounters Edited by Bart Barendregt and Els Boegerts Page 286 Chapter twelve, Rein Spoorman
  9. ↑ Dutch Exotica Artists, 11. Amboina Serenaders – Bali Bali Boogie
  10. ↑ Rate Your Music Rock and Roll and Breezes / Mahalani Papado
  11. ↑ University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Library Performer > Rudi Wairata and his Hawaiian Minstrels
  12. ↑ Dutch Exotica Artists, 12. Rudi Wairata & The Kilima Hawaiians - Whistling Guitar
  13. ↑ Concertzender Friday 6 November 2015 HAWAIIAN MUSIC (Part 14) 2 5 Y e a r s T H E K I L I M A H A W A I I A N S with RUDI WAIRATA
  14. 1 2 3 The Waikiki Islanders Rudi Wairata Page 2
  15. ↑ The Hawaiian Music Foundation VOL. I NO. 8 August 1975 The Kilima Hawaiians page 2
  16. 1 2 NLDiscografie.nl Das Moana Quartett
  17. ↑ Discogs Rudi Wairata – The Suara Nusantara
  18. ↑ Lass dich überraschen : niederländische Unterhaltungskünstler in Deutschland nach 1945 Ingo Schiweck Page 55
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 NLDiscografie.nl Rudi Wairata
  20. ↑ Rate Your Music Good Old Hawai, Arttist Roy Moana
  21. 1 2 3 Discogs Rudi Wairata Discography, Albums
  22. ↑ NLDiscografie.nl Ke Aloha Hawaiian Strings
  23. ↑ Discogs Rudi Wairata Und Sein Hula Girls* – Hula Lu
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