Eddie Bush, Hawaiian, Sees Hawaii First Time
Take the musical notes C to G and you have a tenor, go higher from G to C and you have a head tone singer, then from that C to F you have a falsetto crooner. Go Still higher, an octave above high C, and you’ve got—Eddie Bush.
Eddie Bush, the Hawaiian who until this week never saw Hawaii, has puzzled the best musical authorities with that voice of his. Finally they decided to call him a lyric soprano.
“It may be the proper technical name,” says Eddie, “but it sounds kind of sissy to me.”
The young singer—he’s 21—is here with Mel Peterson and Earl Randall for the opening of the Club Morocco and for a series of radio appearances.
Born On Mainland
This is because back in 1901 Eddie’s mother and father left Hawaii for professional careers on the mainland, his mother being an actress and his father a composer. Eddie, then, was one of five children born on the mainland.
At the age of four years, believe it or not, Eddie began his professional career, appearing as a kid singer on the stage. And continued to appear until he was 14 when, his voice changing, he lost his singing voice. For a whole year the lyric beauty of his voice was stilled. Then the triumphant return.
At tender 15 Eddie teamed with Paul Gibbon and Bill Seckler as the Biltmore Trio, a combination that clicked well enough to become nationally famous. From then on it was roses for the young singer. The records show him with his own trio, including Russ Colombo and Art Fleming, with the Three Rhythm Boys, one of whom was Bing Crosby, with his own bands appearing on the west coast, in Cincinnati, in Texas; at the Palace theater in New York, and with Phil Harris at the Coconut Grove, appearing variously on the stage, in night clubs and over the radio.
Double In Movies
Then there was an interlude in…
Eddie Bush
…the movies. Here Eddie has served a double role. First he has served as a hard riding double for movie stars strangers to horseflesh. Eddie was slight enough in build to crediably pass as a double, on horseback, for Lupe Velez, Dorothy Sebastian and also for Douglas Fairbanks.
Back to the movies he went later to furnish the musical background. In “Dinner at Eight” it is Eddie’s orchestra playing the accompaniment and in “Central Airport,” starring Richard Barthelmess, Eddie sings with his trio.
For five years Eddie has been trying to get over to the Hawaiian islands. But each time he was balked by some uncompromising contract. Four times, between engagements, Eddie has booked passage for Honolulu but each time some contract came up that had to be obeyed, so each time he had to cancel his ship booking. The fifth time, however, he made it.
Off the stage and away from the microphone Eddie goes in for riding and tennis. Now that he’s out at Waikiki, staying with Mrs. John H. Wilson. He is going in for swimming and maybe some surfing. No girls, he’s not married.
(Star-Bulletin, 10/28/1933, p. 5)
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Volume XLI, Number 13017, Page 5. October 28, 1933.
nupepa 
Aloha,
I loved reading this article on my father. Tomorrow marks the 49th anniversary of his passing. It doesn’t seem possible. I was 6 when my father passed away and finding articles that are new to me is so amazing.
LikeLike
Wow. Nice to hear. Do you the names of his parents and where in Hawaii they were from? Also, do you know who Renee Nogle is?
LikeLike
Yes I can provide you with info… Renee Nogle was my dad’s older sister and I was named after her. My father Eddie Bush was actually born as Alexander Hennessy Feb 19, 1911 to Lei K (Werry) and Tom Hennessy his father Tom was also a musician and I believe he and July Paka are the first recorded steel guitar players.
After Lei n Tom divorced my dad changed his name to Eddie Bush. We are a direct bloodline relation to John Edward Akahele Bush as JE Bush is my 2X great grandfather
LikeLike
LikeLike
My sister Renee directed me to the article abour our dad. I am his oldest son, and soon to be 82. My aunt Renee Nogle died several years ago, as a result of a stroke. Renee’s eldest son John died a few years back, but her daughter Tonya, is still living and resides in Santa Clarita, CA. There are several grandchildren.
LikeLike
Mahalo!
LikeLike
Eddie Bush was my grand father. He passed before I was born. My father Lonnie Bush passed in 2019. I am looking for other family members as I am interested in finding more information about my heritage.
LikeLike
Hello Kay, I am Eddie Jr. I never knew or met you father Lonnie, however I believe my half sister Renee knew him. I have found that attempting to trace Hawaiian heritage is often difficult. My mom and dad divorced when I was about 4 or 5 years of age. I reconnected with him as a teenager, and then was aware of him and some of his life up until his death in 1968. In fact in 1959 my mother and father remarried, but that only lasted about a year. He was born in Milwaukee, WI , Feb. 19, 1911. He began in vaudeville at age 3 (as legend has it), and was in show business all the rest of his life. His genre was Hawaiian music, and besides his beautiful falsetto voice, he was an accomplished guitarist. He was one of the stars on the Harry Owens Royal Hawaiians television show in the mid 1950’s. After my parents brief remarriage, he married again and had my half sister who was born in 1963. His mother was born in Hilo, HI in 1888, and his father was purported to have been born in Lahaina, Maui. Much of my dad’s history is pretty fuzzy up until I was able to understand. My dad’s sisters family has also made attempts to piece things together, but much is conjecture. I am sorry to hear of your dad’s death, he must have been fairly young. I will be 87 on my next birthday. Best wishes, Ed
LikeLike