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Events in the Life of Don Ho

A chronological timeline of significant events in the life of Hawaii's legendary entertainer Don Ho.

1930 August 13 - Don Ho was born in Honolulu, Hawaii

1938-1944 - Grew up in Kaneohe where he attended Benjamin Park Elementary School.

1939 - Don Ho's family purchased a bar in Kaneohe for $500 and named it "Honey's" because Honey was his mother's nickname.

1949 - Graduated from Kamehameha High School where he played football, baseball, and basketball.

1950 - Attended 1 year of college in Springfield Massachusetts.

1950 or 1951 - Married Melva May Kolokea Wong on November 22.

1953 - Graduated from the University of Hawaii with a BS in Sociology.

1954-1959 - Served in the U.S. Air force where he flew C97 jets and achieved the rank of First Lieutenant. He left the air force due to his mother's illness.

1959-1962 - Started a band with some friends and performed at his parent's Kaneohe bar "Honey's".

1964-1970 - Moved from Kaneohe to Waikiki and began playing at Duke Kahanamoku's club in the International Marketplace in Waikiki. He played three shows a night to a full capacity crowd in the 700 seat club.

1964-1972 - Performed at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.

1965 - Released debut album: "Don Ho Show

1966 - Released 2nd album: "Don Ho: Again".

1967 - Released single "Tiny Bubbles" on the Reprise Label and it reached number 8 on the Billboard chart. Played at the Los Angeles Coconut Grove nightclub where on his first night be broke all previous attendance records.

1970-1981 - Performed at the Cinerama Reef Towers Polynesian Palace.

1971 - Appeared on "The Tom Jones Special" television show

1972 - Appeared on "The Bob Hope Show" and "The Brady Bunch" television shows.

1976 - Appeared on "Perry Como's Hawaiian Holiday" television show

1976-1977: The Don Ho Show" was broadcast weekday mornings by ABC television. It was filmed on the Ocean Lanai of the Outrigger Reef Hotel in Waikiki.

1981-1982 - Performed at Don Ho's in Waikiki

1982-1990 - Performed at the Hilton Hawaiian village

1991-1992 - Performed at the Hula Hut of the Ala Moana Hotel.

1992-1994 - Performed at Polynesian Palace of the Outrigger Reef Hotel.

1994-2007 - Performed in the showroom of the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.

From the early 1990's through his death in 2007 he performed a nightclub act in the showroom of the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.

1996 - Appeared in the movie "Joe's Apartment"

1998 - Don Ho's Island Grill opens at the Aloha Marketplace shopping center on the downtown Honolulu Waterfront.

1999 - Don Ho's wife Melva May Ho died on June 2, 1999.

2000 - One of his daughters, Hoku Ho, appeared on "The Donnie and Marie Show"

2002 - Toured the mainland in summer coast to coast tour.

2005 - Took a break from performing because of heart problems. In November or December he underwent an experimental procedure in Bangkok Thailand to strengthen his heart muscle. The procedure was called VesCell Adult Stem Cell Surgery. After the surgery he had a pacemaker installed.

2006 January 22 - Returned to performing at the Hoku Hale showroom of the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel.

2006 September - Married Haumea Hebenstreit, producer and hula solo performer in his Waikiki show.

2007 April 14 - Don Ho suffered a heart attack at his Waikiki home and died shortly after at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

See also:
  • The Recordings of Don Ho
  • Articles About Don Ho
  • More About Don Ho



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    If you have corrections or updates to the any of the information on this page or if you have information or pictures to share about your favorite Hawaii singer or musician please send them to one of the addresses on our contacts page. Note that we can only publish official press photos or other photos for which we have received permission from the photographer. We respect the copyrights of photographers, performers, and writers.





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