Harmony Isles

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 16 Sep 2010 1:28 am

I'm wondering if many of the folks on the FORUM can recall the old DICK McINTIRE radio program "HARMONY ISLE" ? The announcer whose name was TED BLISS had a very velvet voice.

These programs were 15 minute radio shows, featured Dick McIntire and His Harmony Hawaiians playing only 3 songs plus their theme, "DRIFTING and DREAMING" on each program. I have many, if not all of these nostalgic radio shows. They inspired me to form my own group in 1949 called 'The Sunset Islanders' and form my own radio show titled "HAWAIIAN SUNSET which aired every Saturday Night at sunset on CKUA Radio through to 1952....(61 years ago!)

I think Dick's program aired around 1934 although I have little reason to pick that era other than the style he was playing and using the E MAJOR tuning.

Anyway, if any of you recall 'HARMONY ISLE', (or knew Dick during that era), I'd appreciate any 'talk-story' about the program and the musicians plus Ted Bliss....

I'd really appreciate knowing who the musicians were on these early programs ? Steel was played by Dick of course, but who were the musicians playing r/guitar, ukulele, string bass and vibraphones ?

Perhaps a discussion might ensue ?

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 16 Sep 2010 6:38 am

I never got to hear this program, Keoki, as it stopped many years before I was born. I hope someone else has the information you seek.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 16 Sep 2010 7:06 am

Hi Keoki, thank you and Mary for your condolences. I have virtually all the McIntyre progs on cassette but nothing about the musicians.I have alot of your groups tapes which you sent me and they are on a par with Dicks progs. Sorry not much help. cc

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 16 Sep 2010 11:13 am

Mahalo for the very kind compliment CC. When I did my radio shows back in 1949-52 I think I may have been about the same age as Dick was when he did his HARMONY ISLE shows somewhere around 1934....only HE had all the talent !

HARMONY ISLE Brad, was a program which brought the dream
of a far-off paradise (assumed to be "Hawai'i") during an era when only the ultra-rich could afford a trip. Though all the music was Hawaiian, (not hapa-haole), the name "Hawai'i" was never mentioned.

The pace of the show was always very slow which was probably the reason Dick could only fit 3 songs into each program. Ted Bliss was the ideal announcer....his voice was smooth as he described almost in a poetic manner the beauty of this fictitious "Harmony Isle" located somewhere in the Pacific.

While I never heard the shows when they were actually aired, I managed over the years to collect most of the actual 16" transcriptions which I have transferred to tape and hope, when time permits, to transfer them to CD or Memory Stick.

A program such as Harmony Isle were it aired today would most probably be the subject of ridicule to todays "music" (read: noise) generation. However, listening to Dick's beautiful (E Major) sound has brought many moments of relaxation especially during times of stress. It was another era when the imagination flowed from the soft spoken word rather than the high pressure commercialism of today's generation. Auwe.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 16 Sep 2010 4:36 pm

I'm still hoping someone out there will have a clue
about the backup musicians who were playing with Dick McIntire when he was fairly young and was playing the HARMONY ISLE radio show. Must be a few old-tymers still around with that information ? Hope so !

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 16 Sep 2010 4:58 pm

KFSD in San Diego. That's all I know. I'd love to hear those shows.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 16 Sep 2010 7:12 pm

Keoki, I'd think our pal Hal Smith would be one to tap within our broad circles on anything McIntire. I doubt he's paying attention to the forum so an email/call to him might get those answers.

Both eras of the program are great, first McIntire then Eddie Bush, both posessed 'the power'. What's extra cool is no commercial interuptions or silliness marr the captivating atmosphere they creat on air. And the song selection is top shelf.
These recordings really should be uploaded somewhere for broad public consumption, to both preserve the performances and give the players/writers/etc. some overdue respect for these special shows.

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 17 Sep 2010 10:29 am

I also have all or most of the Harmony Isles programs on reel-to-reel tapes. However, I don't know anything about the players.
Not to change the subject, but does anyone remember or were able to pick up the "Isle of Paradise" program on WGN Radio from Chicago at midnight on Saturday nites? They were broadcast mostly in the '60s, I believe. I don't have my records available here so I can't remember for sure. The program was produced by Hal Stein and it was a program made up of different tracks from different Hawaiian and South Seas LPs. Artists such as Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, Hawaii Calls LPs, Ethel Azuma,Sam Koki, Danny Kuuana(sp) etc etc. Hal Stein had thousands of Hawaiian LPs in his library. Frank Miller and I were allowed to borrow his tapes,-on huge reels,-from WGN, take them home and copy them. We now have them all on our own reel-to-reel tapes. When Hal retired from the programs, Frank & I were invited to his office to go thru his collection and buy any record we wanted for $1.00. Hal also gave us a few LPs that he knew were our favorites. By the way,-Rudy Orisek was the announcer and the sponsor was Tallman Savings in Chicago.
Does anyone remember the program? WGN was a clear channel radio so the broadcasts should have been heard far and wide.
Wally Pfeifer

James Carter · Post by **James Carter** » 17 Sep 2010 5:23 pm

I have all or most of the harmony isle programs on cassette tape along with
about 200 Dick McIntire tracks which are my prized possessions I just mention
this to show that even as far away as New Zealand Dick had fans .

Hal Smith · Post by **Hal Smith** » 18 Sep 2010 3:18 pm

Hi George and all.
This is my first post to the Forum and will contribute what I know of the present topic. I have a picture of the Harmony Hawaiians from a Dickerson promotion for their steel guitars. Probably taken pre-war at the South Seas Lounge in L.A. The names given are ;Dick McIntire, Buddy Silva(bass), Ualani (hula),Gary Spear and Eddie Bush on guitar.
For anyone interested in getting the Dick McIntire sound I can recommend the new reissue of 1949-50 Fender Champ 600 amp. Just 5 wattoutput,6"speaker and no tone controls,it gives the exact tone to my ear of the Harmony Isle recordings with my Long Scale frypan( ex Dick McIntire which we believe was used on those recordings). Mind you not all Rick frypans have a good tone!
One other thing to mention. When I spoke to Sonny Kamahele in Hawaii before he died, he said that he once played with Dick McIntire and that all they used for the recordings with Bing Crosby was a small Rick Amp in the studio!
All the best Hal.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 18 Sep 2010 5:16 pm

Hal Smith wrote:I have a picture of the Harmony Hawaiians from a Dickerson promotion for their steel guitars. Probably taken pre-war at the South Seas Lounge in L.A. The names given are ;Dick McIntire, Buddy Silva(bass), Ualani (hula),Gary Spear and Eddie Bush on guitar.

For anyone interested in getting the Dick McIntire sound I can recommend the new reissue of 1949-50 Fender Champ 600 amp. Just 5 wattoutput,6"speaker and no tone controls,it gives the exact tone to my ear of the Harmony Isle recordings with my Long Scale frypan(ex Dick McIntire which we believe was used on those recordings).

Sonny Kamahele said that he once played with Dick McIntire and that all they used for the recordings with Bing Crosby was a small Rick Amp in the studio!

Good to hear directly from you, Hal. You're yet another SGForum member with a wealth of vintage info and perspective.

I've always wondered how much Dick/Sol being die-hard Rick players actually used those Dickerson steels.

Knowing how well you capture McIntire's exact sound on any amp/guitar, to say the Fender 600 delivers as you state is the ultimate review and the highest compliment an amp of any era could recieve.
Here's 2 brand new for $150 per! http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-2330100000-C ... 53e30ebdfd

Any yet those old one mic/amp/take recordings soung great.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 18 Sep 2010 7:39 pm

Hi Hal...WOW ! Great to hear from you ! I also have that pic of DICK McINTIRE and his Harmony Hawaiians in which he appears holding the DICKERSON. I'm quite certain that pic was taken a number of years after he did the HARMONY ISLE radio shows. Also, I kinda doubt he did much, if any recording with the Dickerson guitar, (which was NOT named after Dick as is commonly thought). It was a promotional pic to endorse Dickerson guitars. Perhaps I am dead wrong and if so, I would be pleased to be corrected.

Speaking of Dickerson, perhaps you may have had the pleasure of meeting Belva (Dickerson) Dunn the last year she was in Hawai'i. She was in a wheelchair at the time. Fans of Sol Ho'opi'i will recall that Belva could play almost note-for-note most anything Sol played as Sol was her teacher. She was an amazing talent. Belva passed in December of 1993.

Those on the Forum who are unaware of Hal Smith should be aware that Hal is almost Dick McIntire reincarnated ! Very few have captured the beautiful McIntire touch and tone like Hal. I hope we'll see more posts from Hal, and better still, hope we can hear some of his nahi nahi McIntire music !

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 19 Sep 2010 4:34 pm

Hey Hal!! great to see you on here. And we know you have the best sounding frypan that Rickenbacher ever built!!

Hal Smith · Post by **Hal Smith** » 19 Sep 2010 7:44 pm

Aloha George,Ron and Bill..Long time no see! Well I'm flsttered but I have tried over many years to get that sound and it gives me pleasure to play along with the record or one of George's McIntire backup tapes.Notvery creative perhaps,but Ican't think of a better style!
I am quite amazed at the lack of photos of Dick McIntire or film clips of him playing..Someone out there must have something but I have yet to find it.
Aloha nui loa....Hal

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 19 Sep 2010 8:41 pm

Hello, Hal, great to see you post! Still loving those Dick McIntire tapes and the Billy Hew Len recordings.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 19 Sep 2010 9:22 pm

Hi Hal...The reason I think that particular photo was taken many years AFTER the HARMONY ISLE programs...I am sure Dick was probably in his late teens or early twenty's when he did these shows. His style was quite different in his early years also he used Vibraphones on all those shows. No one in that pic is portrayed as being a Vibe player.

Like you, I am astounded there is so little information and/or pics of probably one of the greatest Hawaiian steel guitarists who ever lived. Even JB once said..."if there hadn't been a Dick McIntire, there wouldn't have been a Jerry Byrd" (or simi)

Thanx for your kind compliments Hal, appreciated.

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 5 Jan 2011 6:41 pm

I'm still very surprised that no one has remembered or mentioned the "Isle of Paradise" program on WGN as I have described in a previous post.
NOBODY !? ?
Wally

Wally Pfeifer · Post by **Wally Pfeifer** » 3 Sep 2011 1:05 pm

Well,- I guess not. You guys all missed a
good program. Too bad.
Wally

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 3 Sep 2011 1:18 pm

What did we miss? Was there plenty of vintage steel?

Marcus Wisweh · Post by **Marcus Wisweh** » 2 May 2023 11:32 am

Aloha everybody,

I am looking for recordings of the radio show "Harmony Isle" and the radio transcriptions by Dick McIntire. The song "Hawaiian Lullaby" is impossible to find and I was wondering if anyone has the song or recordings they would like to share with me. I have heard some of these recordings and I am fascinated and in love with the idea of this island with these wonderful pieces of music. The show was first broadcast in the 1930s and was aired on KPOA in Hawaii. I have been playing lap steel for 7 years now and have been enchanted by the music and the old artists like Sol Hoopii, Dick McIntire, Bennie Nawahi, and Sam Ku West.

Looking forward to your reply.

Me ke aloha pumehana, Marcus

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 2 May 2023 12:20 pm

I sent you a pm ...

Keith Aiken · Post by **Keith Aiken** » 2 May 2023 1:30 pm

i'd really like to have all the shows . i have maybe half on mp3. i'm talking this is on my bucket list

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 2 May 2023 1:43 pm

Check your pm ...

Marcus Wisweh · Post by **Marcus Wisweh** » 2 May 2023 9:53 pm

Mahalo Rick. I send you a message.

@Keith: If you would like to share your stuff, please let me know. these radio shows are a real treasure

Marcus Wisweh · Post by **Marcus Wisweh** » 3 May 2023 5:21 am

I came across this website and discovered some interesting shows. I was wondering if there might be complete versions available here. Perhaps someone else has a different suggestion?
Here's the link to the website: https://digital.library.manoa.hawaii.ed ... C530%2C333.
Have a lovely day!
Best regards, Marcus.

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