R. Alex Anderson
Robert Alexander Anderson (often given as R. Alex Anderson) (June 6, 1894 – May 30, 1995) was an American composer who was born and lived most of his life in Hawaii, writing many popular Hawaiian songs within the hapa haole genre including "Lovely Hula Hands" (1940) and "Mele Kalikimaka" (1949), the latter the best known Hawaiian Christmas song. |
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 May 30, 1995
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1946
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, songwriter, director
= 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 | PBVE-68376 | 10-in. | 7/22/1932 | My sweet Hawaiian pine | Johnny Noble's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-79107 | 10-in. | 3/9/1934 | Haole hula | Sol K. Bright’s Hollywaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-79242 | 10-in. | 6/7/1934 | Malihini mele (I played a tune on my sweet okolehao) | Charles Amalu Troupe | Vocal and instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-79243 | 10-in. | 6/7/1934 | Soft green seas | Charles Amalu Troupe | Vocal and instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-79245 | 10-in. | 6/8/1934 | Haole hula | Sol K. Bright’s Hollywaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo and vocal trio (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-79286 | 10-in. | 7/22/1934 | Malihini mele (I played a tune on my sweet okolehao) | Sol K. Bright’s Hollywaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal trio (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-79293 | 10-in. | 7/26/1934 | Soft green seas | Sol K. Bright’s Hollywaiians | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal trio (Hawaiian) | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-79378 | 10-in. | 9/25/1934 | As they strolled along the shore | Tom Coakley ; Palace Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-89004 | 10-in. | 3/13/1935 | Haole hula | Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club | Female vocal chorus, with instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-89041 | 10-in. | 3/20/1935 | Malihini mele | Louise Akeo ; Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club | Female vocal chorus (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-89113 | 10-in. | 4/6/1935 | Honeymoon Isles | Bishaw's Serenaders | Instrumental ensemble, with female vocal solo (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-89114 | 10-in. | 4/6/1935 | Tiny ukelele | Bishaw's Serenaders | Instrumental ensemble, with female vocal solo (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-89144 | 10-in. | 4/12/1935 | Haole hula | Don R. George | Organ solo (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | BS-100769 | 10-in. | 7/2/1936 | On a coconut island | Carmen Lombardo ; Guy Lombardo ; Royal Canadians | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-102333 | 10-in. | 7/3/1936 | On a coconut island | Charles Chester ; Shep Fields ; Rippling Rhythm Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-030719 | 10-in. | 12/17/1938 | The cockeyed mayor of Kaunakakai | Elisse Cooper ; Eddie De Lange Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BS-048018 | 10-in. | 2/14/1940 | Haole hula | Charles Kama Moana Hawaiians | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-056469 | 10-in. | 10/9/1940 | Lovely hula hands | Ray Kinney Hawaiian Quintet | Instrumental quintet, with male vocal solo and vocal trio (Hawaiian) | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-072046 | 10-in. | either 1/20/1942 or 1/21/1942 | There's magic in the night | Ray Andrade Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-072050 | 10-in. | 1/20/1942 | Blue lei | Ray Andrade Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | D6VB-3493 | 10-in. | 12/20/1946 | Lovely hula hands | Coral Islanders ; Ray Kinney | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Columbia | W146729 | 10-in. | 6/2/1928 | Hula moon | Peggy Center Anderson ; R. Alex Anderson ; Reynold B. McGrew | Female-male vocal duet | composer, director | |
| Brunswick | LAE626 | 10-in. | 9/18/1929 | Aloha land | Johnny Noble Hawaiian Music | Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE830 | 10-in. | 7/3/1930 | Haole hula | Johnny Noble Hawaiian Music ; Royal Hawaiian Girls Glee Club | Jazz/dance band (Hawaiian), with female vocal chorus | composer, lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Anderson, R. Alex," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107094.
Anderson, R. Alex. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107094.
"Anderson, R. Alex." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Robert Alex Anderson
Discogs: R. Alex Anderson
Allmusic: R. Alex Anderson
Grove: R. Alex Anderson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Anderson, R. Alex - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n94057986
Wikidata: Robert Alex Anderson - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7341424
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/9076097
MusicBrainz: Robert Alex Anderson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d0446cd4-b49f-4304-98be-e2dd6373b4e9
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/340925 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/340925
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