Hawaiian Music Collection - Denny, Martin: Performer Biography

Martin Denny was born in 1911 and was raised primarily in Los Angeles. He studied classical piano as a child and toured South America in the 1930s with the Don Bean Orchestra. This experience with Latin music greatly influenced his work. After serving in World War II, he returned to California to further his education in orchestra and composition. In 1954 Martin was brought to Hawaii for a gig with Don the Beachcomber and ended up staying and performing with several groups. He enjoyed the lifestyle and arranged his music to fit the tropical backdrop. He developed a collection of exotic instruments from several areas of the world and would compose music using them. He also incorporated natural sounds such as bird-calls and the croaking of frogs that soon made his music a sensation and became his signature style, “exotica”. His 48 albums sold over 4 million copies and continue to influence music today.

Harada, Wayne. (2005, March 4). Martin Denny The Sound of Exotica. The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved from http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Mar/04/ln/ln50p.html

Todaro, Tony. (1974) The Golden Years of Hawaiian Entertainment. Honolulu, HI: Tony Todaro Publishing p.106

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