Sonny Cunha
Sonny Cunha, full name Albert Richard Cunha (October 1, 1879 – January 23, 1933) was an American composer, bandleader, pianist, singer, politician and entrepreneur. He was the first to popularize hapa haole music, a type of Hawaiian music with influences from popular music and with lyrics that are a combination of English and Hawaiian (or wholly English). |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1879, Died 1933
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-13113 | 10-in. | 4/11/1913 | My Honolulu hula girl | Hawaiian Quintette ; E. K. Rose | Male vocal solo and male vocal quintet, with instrumental quintet (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | B-13148 | 10-in. | 4/18/1913 | Honolulu tom boy | Hawaiian Quintette | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quintet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | B-15352 | 10-in. | 11/6/1914 | Halona | Toots Paka Hawaiian Troupe | Vocal and instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Victor | B-15582 | 10-in. | 1/12/1915 | Cunha medley | David K. Kaili ; Pale K. Lua | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | B-16633 | 10-in. | 10/11/1915 | On the beach at Waikiki medley | Louise and Ferera | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Victor | B-17066 | 10-in. | 1/26/1916 | On the beach at Waikiki | Meyer Davis Kalaluhi Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Victor | B-18434 | 10-in. | 9/16/1916 | Dear old Honolulu | Wright and Dietrich | Female-male vocal duet, with 2 guitars and ukuleles | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | B-18435 | 10-in. | 9/16/1916 | My Honolulu hula girl | Wright and Dietrich | Female-male vocal duet, with 2 guitars and ukuleles | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | B-18455 | 10-in. | 9/23/1916 | "My Hawaiian maid" medley | Wright and Dietrich | Female-male vocal duet, with ukulele and 2 guitars | composer | |
| Victor | B-19058 | 10-in. | 1/17/1917 | Everybody hula | Louise and Ferera | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | B-19193 | 10-in. | 2/19/1917 | Hawaiian medley no. 2 | E. K. Rose | Guitar solo (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Victor | B-19303 | 10-in. | 2/20/1917 | My Honolulu hula girl | E. K. Rose | Male vocal solo, with ukulele (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | B-24648 | 10-in. | 10/21/1920 | The hula blues | Billy Murray ; Ed Smalle | Male vocal duet, with mandolin and orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-29028 | 10-in. | 11/24/1923 | Hawaiian melodies | Nicholas A. Barbarito ; Warren B. Patterson | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | B-30061 | 10-in. | 5/9/1924 | My Waikiki mermaid | Edith MacDowell ; Grace MacDowell | Female vocal duet, with guitar and ukulele | composer | |
| Victor | B-30062 | 10-in. | 5/9/1924 | She sang aloha to me | Edith MacDowell ; Grace MacDowell | Female vocal duet, with guitar and ukulele | composer | |
| Victor | BS-77331 | 10-in. | 12/12/1933 | The hula blues | Jim & Bob | Guitar duet, with male vocal duet (Hawaiian) | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-89056 | 10-in. | 3/26/1935 | Hula girl | Sam Alama Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-89111 | 10-in. | 4/6/1935 | Honolulu tomboy | Sam Alama Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | PBVE-203 | 10-in. | 5/10/1926 | Good-bye, Honolulu | Keaumoku A. Louis | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Victor | PBVE-233 | 10-in. | 5/14/1926 | Kuu pua roselani | Keaumoku A. Louis | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | arranger | |
| Victor | PBVE-277 | 10-in. | 4/22/1927 | Hula girl | Kane's Hawaiians | Vocal and instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-061158 | 10-in. | 4/14/1941 | Hapa haole hula girl | Ray Andrade Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble, with vocal (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 46309 | 10-in. | 12/29/1915 | Hapa haole hula girl | Louise and Ferera | Steel guitar and guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 46417 | 10-in. | 2/15/1916 | Manua kea | Henry N. Clark | Male vocal solo and vocal octet, with steel guitar and ukulele (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Columbia | 46679 | 10-in. | 4/1/1916 | Hawaiian medley | Louise and Ferera | Steel guitar and guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 46833 | 10-in. | 6/14/1916 | Kalaluhi's Hawaiian medley of hulas | George Kalaluhi's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 46876 | 10-in. | 6/22/1916 | Medley of Hawaiian melodies | George Kalaluhi's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 47114 | 10-in. | 10/31/1916 | Dear old Honolulu | Rene Dietrich ; Horace Wright | Female-male vocal duet, with guitars | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 47294 | 10-in. | 1/16/1917 | Everybody's hula | Louise and Ferera | Steel guitar and guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 79053 | 10-in. | 3/16/1920 | Hapa haole hula girl | Ferera and Franchini | Steel guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | 79157 | 10-in. | 5/4/1920 | Everybody hula | Ferera and Franchini | Steel guitar and guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | W144506 | 10-in. | 7/27/1927 | Hawaiian hula medley | South Sea Islanders | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian), with vocal chorus | composer | |
| Columbia | W144564 | 10-in. | 8/25/1927 | Tropical hulas | South Sea Islanders | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W146704 | 10-in. | 5/28/1928 | My Honolulu hula girl | George Awai's Moana Hotel Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band (Hawaiian), with female vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W147806 | 10-in. | 1/14/1929 | Hula girl | Andrew Aiona's Novelty Four | Jazz/dance quartet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | W149803 | 10-in. | 1/8/1930 | Hawaiian hula song | Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio | Instrumental trio (Hawaiian) | arranger | |
| Columbia | W150084 | 10-in. | 3/11/1930 | Mauna Kea | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7553 | 10-in. | Aug. 1920 | Hapa haole hula girl | Ferera and Franchini | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | S-70358 | 10-in. | December 1921 | Waikiki mermaid | Frank Ferera ; Anthony J. Franchini | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | W400705 | 10-in. | 5/23/1928 | Hula blues | Kalama Quartette | Instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | W400712 | 10-in. | 5/26/1928 | Hapa haole hula girl | Kalama Quartette | Instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | W401857 | 10-in. | 5/3/1929 | Hawaiian girl o' mine | Kalama Quartette | Male vocal and instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | [Br cat 5235-a] | 10-in. | approximately June 1918 | My Honolulu hula girl | Louise, Ferera, and Greenus | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Brunswick | 12524-12526 | 10-in. | 2/14/1924 | Hula blues | Lena Wilson | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance trio | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E23704-E23706 | 10-in. | 6/21/1927 | The hula blues | Royal Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E25698-E25699 | 10-in. | 12/20/1927 | Alegre Hawaiiana (Happy hula girl) | The Hanapi Trio | Instrumental trio (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE324 | 10-in. | 11/1/1928 | Honolulu tomboy | Isaac Kanae ; Sandy Moore ; The Noble Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with female-male vocal duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE325 | 10-in. | 11/1/1928 | Hapa haole hula girl | Isaac Kanae ; Sandy Moore ; The Noble Hawaiians | Hawaiian instrumental ensemble, with female-male vocal duet | composer | |
| Edison | 4600 | 10-in. | 3/22/1916 | Hapa haole hula girl | Louise and Ferera | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Edison | 5298 | 10-in. | 1/17/1917 | My Waikiki mermaid | Waikiki Hawaiian Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 9560 | 10-in. | 6/12/1924 | My Honolulu hula girl | MacDowell Sisters | Female vocal duet, with orchestra | composer, lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cunha, Sonny," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111852.
Cunha, Sonny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111852.
"Cunha, Sonny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cunha, Sonny, 1879-1933 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2002076783
Wikidata: Albert “Sonny” Cunha - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4709576
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/92946371
MusicBrainz: Albert “Sonny” Cunha - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65d0a232-ce8c-4e8d-a7c4-4dfbfbe4e167
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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