Who were the Moana Loa Islanders?

Jeremy DeHart · Post by **Jeremy DeHart** » 26 Mar 2020 4:31 pm

here's a post about one of their most famous recordings. Anyone know? Seems like I read it was someone recognizable.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=245969

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 27 Mar 2020 9:21 am

I assume you mean the Mauna Loa Islanders?

I think I got this album that some discogs seller kindly bundled with my order of other Hawaiian albums, gratis:
https://www.discogs.com/The-Mauna-Loa-I ... se/1507502

The main thing I've found is that the albums were recorded in NYC. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised, given the time period, if these were a group of studio musicians and it was an effort to cash in on the Hawaiiana rage of the late 50s early 60s.

The first album is listed as being produced by Johnnie Camacho and Herman Diaz. A search shows they were basically bigwigs at RCA Victor in New York:
https://books.google.com/books?id=CBwEA ... az&f=false

Bob Simpson was the engineer...over 500 listed credits on Discogs, he was a busy guy at RCA Victor...
https://www.discogs.com/artist/323461-Bob-Simpson

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 27 Mar 2020 9:29 am

Random guess I might throw out...contemporary multiinstrumentalist Billy Mure. NYC based, did albums for RCA Victor at the time, and dabbled on the edge of Hawaiian...