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Johnny Wade
Presented here for the very first time is the complete Hawaiian-style output of Australian vocalist Johnny Wade (1916-1993), transferred and remastered from original 78rpm recordings. .
Spanning two volumes - from Wade’s earliest recordings with the Sydney Hawaiian Club in 1937, to his final shellac recordings under Johnny Wade & His Hawaiians in 1956 - this reissue features the talents of electric steel guitar players Les Adams and Neville Kahn, all backed by Wade’s sensitive crooner-style vocalising.
As well as hapa-haole standards like ‘Aloha Oe’, ‘King’s Serenade’ and ‘The Hukilau Song’, these sessions feature a number of Australian compositions and songs which reference Maori, Samoan, Malaysian and Fijian cultures.
This release brings back into circulation recordings of a genre that deserves the same status and recognition alongside other Australian popular music styles of the era, including country and jazz.
Rouseabout Records Executive Producer Warren Fahey remarks ... “I am not in the business of guiding a protégé but young (he is twenty-two) Michael Alexandratos is already achieving international recognition as a heritage sound archivist.”
Other Rouseabout heritage reissues produced by Michael Alexandratos:
Keith Branch & His South Sea Islanders (1947) – EP
Various Artists “Before the Boomerang Came Back – Musical Aboriginalia (1949-1962)”
Johnny Wade Hawaiian Crooner Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 are available on Apple Music, Spotify and various other digital platforms.
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