49^th State Hawaii Classic Recordings!

 

Cord International & Hana Ola Records is proud to be bringing
these classic Hawaiian albums that were recorded in Hawaii
prior to statehood, back into the market.

 

Each of these albums has been lovingly restored and remastered, bringing to you incredible sound, as if they were recorded yesterday.

And most are being re-released with their original packaging, artwork, graphics, and liner notes - a true visual and audio journey back in time.

 

We hope you enjoy the classic sound
of these vintage recordings.

 

The story of the 49^th State Hawaii Record Company starts with George K. Ching.  Ching was the owner of a small record store in Honolulu that got lots of foot traffic from servicemen and women stationed in or passing through Hawaii.  They wanted to take home with them musical souvenirs from exotic Hawaii that captured the essence of the Hawaiian music of the day.  The problem Ching encountered is that there really wasn’t very much recorded Hawaiian music available.  To meet the demand George Ching decided to start his very own recording company enlisting initially, John K. Almeida as musical director, arranger and performer.  Almeida set about discovering and recruiting a troupe of local incredible talent to
record on the new label. 

Along the way, Ching found that there was also a great demand for the music of the rest of Polynesia, as well as the music of Japan, and for the Japanese music of Hawaii.

 

But what would Ching call the label? 
The company needed a name.  At the end of WWII, the future of Hawaii was a subject of constant conversation.  News outlets seemed certain that Hawaii would be transformed from a U.S. Territory, becoming the 49^th U.S. State.  George Ching believed that this would be the perfect name for his new company, and so, 49^th State Hawaii Records was born.  In actual fact, the process for becoming a state took much longer than anyone had expected and so Alaska squeezed in as the 49^th State
and Hawaii finished as the 50^th.

 

49^th State Hawaii Records recorded and released hundreds of titles featuring the greatest artists of the time such as; Gabby Pahinui, Genoa Keawe, steel guitar master Benny Rogers,
Kumu Hula master John Pi’ilani Watkins and so much more great talent!

 

We will be re-releasing many classic albums and we invite you to sit back, relax, listen, and enjoy a magical musical journey back in time to a simpler place. A place called The Territory of Hawaii.

 

The historic 49^th State Hawaii Records label is BACK – sounding like brand new again!  And looking it too!