King Bennie Nawahi
"King" Bennie Nawahi (July 3, 1899 – January 29, 1985) was an American steel guitarist from Hawaii who was popular in the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Honolulu (city in and county seat of Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, that is also the capital city of Hawaii), Died January 29, 1985 (Long Beach (city in Los Angeles County, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1931
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, composer, lyricist, steel guitar, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, ukulele
Notes: Original name: Benjamin Keakahiawa Nawahi.
= 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 | BRC-64868 | 10-in. | 3/11/1931 | Queen of the South Sea Isles (Pela Pupu) | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with vocal trio | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BRC-64871 | 10-in. | 3/11/1931 | Flowers of the islands | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with vocal trio | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W149607 | 10-in. | 12/20/1929 | Malia | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, leader, instrumentalist, steel guitar | |
| Columbia | W149608 | 10-in. | 12/20/1929 | Hawaiian capers | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, leader, instrumentalist, steel guitar | |
| Columbia | W149943 | 10-in. | 1/30/1930 | One, two, three, four | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W149944 | 10-in. | 1/30/1930 | Maui girl | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W149945 | 10-in. | 1/30/1930 | Tickling the strings | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, leader, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W149946 | 10-in. | 1/30/1930 | Smiling eyes | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, leader, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W150001 | 10-in. | 2/19/1930 | I went to Hilo | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150002 | 10-in. | 2/19/1930 | Aloha means "I love you" | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150081 | 10-in. | 3/11/1930 | Under a Texas moon | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150082 | 10-in. | 3/11/1930 | Hawaiian love-bird | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150083 | 10-in. | 3/11/1930 | Maui no la ka oi | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150084 | 10-in. | 3/11/1930 | Mauna Kea | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble (Hawaiian) | leader | |
| Columbia | W150558 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | May Day is lei day too | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble | leader | |
| Columbia | W150559 | 10-in. | 6/2/1930 | May Day is lei day in Hawaii | King Nawahi's Hawaiians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble | leader | |
| Columbia | W151260 | 10-in. | 2/2/1931 | Dinah | The Red Devils | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | W151261 | 10-in. | 2/2/1931 | Tiger rag | The Red Devils | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | W151489 | 10-in. | 4/7/1931 | Ukulele Benny | Georgia Jumpers | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
| Columbia | W151490 | 10-in. | 4/7/1931 | California blues | Georgia Jumpers | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| Columbia | W151491 | 10-in. | 4/7/1931 | The big feet rag | Georgia Jumpers | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
| Columbia | W151492 | 10-in. | 4/7/1931 | Guitar rhythm | Georgia Jumpers | Jazz/dance band | composer, leader | |
| Columbia | W151653 | 10-in. | 6/26/1931 | Wish I had my first wife back | Charles B. Smith | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, steel guitar, guitar, harmonica, mandolin | |
| Columbia | W151654 | 10-in. | 6/26/1931 | My little A-1 brownie | Charles B. Smith | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, steel guitar, guitar, harmonica, mandolin | |
| Columbia | W151713 | 10-in. | 8/7/1931 | Collegiate stomp | Georgia Jumpers | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and whistling | composer, lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Nawahi, King Bennie," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110644.
Nawahi, King Bennie. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110644.
"Nawahi, King Bennie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: King Benny Nawahi
Discogs: King Bennie Nawahi
Allmusic: King Bennie Nawahi
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Nawahi, King Bennie - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98004826
Wikidata: King Benny Nawahi - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1742005
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/73464623
MusicBrainz: King Benny Nawahi - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5aa3d6f5-a78c-49c2-a530-b9fc4ee9762d
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