Myra English

Myra English (February 22, 1933 – March 29, 2001) was a popular performer and celebrity in Hawaii, United States, known as "The Champagne Lady" of Hawaiian music. In 1968, she zoomed to the top of the local record chart with her hit, Drinking Champagne. Written by Bill Mack, it became her signature song.

Myra English
Also known asMyra English
Born(1933-02-22)February 22, 1933
Makawao, Maui
DiedMarch 29, 2001(2001-03-29) (aged 68)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Occupation(s)Live performer
InstrumentsUkulele
Years active1950–2001
LabelsLehua

Early life

Born February 22, 1933 in Makawao on the island of Maui, English was raised in Paia, Hawaii, where she first began performing as a singer and instrumentalist. She graduated from Maui High School and attended business school in Oahu. She later moved to Honolulu, where she continued to hone her performing talent.

Career

While working in Seattle, Washington in 1968, English heard the song Drinking Champagne on the radio. At the time, the song was a hit for the country music performer Cal Smith.[1] Due to her experience as an entertainer, she knew that the song was well suited for the Hawaiian audience. Returning to Hawaii, she recorded the song for Hula Records.[2] Her version of the song became a regional hit, and went on to become a standard.

Due to her success with "Drinking Champagne," English established herself as a successful entertainer in Waikiki. Her fame led her to become a leading spokesman for the Hawaiian tourism industry, and she worked for such companies as Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Air, United Airlines, and the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. Continuing to perform successfully,[3] she gained some notoriety in Japan.

In addition to her success as a performer and promoter of Hawaii tourism, she also worked as an assistant to various state legislators.

Personal life

English was married to Chelliot Wayne Gibbs for 46 years, when she died on March 29, 2001 (aged 68). They had four children: Pat cabrera, Wayne Gibbs, Kenneth Gibbs, and John Gibbs.

Legacy

The Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts awarded English the 2001 Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award[4] for her contributions to the entertainment industry in Hawaii.

gollark: The ability for lasers to lase other lasers, I mean.
gollark: Anti-laser lasers would be quite a fun feature to add to plethora.
gollark: Most of my laser-using programs just go for the simple but naive solution of firing toward the current position of whatever's being targeted.
gollark: Huh. That is much more advanced than my brief attempt at improved laser targeting, which just got the target's current position, figured out how long it would take for the laser to reach that, then added that times its velocity to the target position.
gollark: Sadly, for cost and claims-weirdness reasons they are no longer deployed in Keansia.

References
  1. "Cal Smith Biography". CMT. Retrieved May 19, 2010. CMT
  2. "Myra English, Best of the Champagne Lady". Hula Records. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010. Hula Records
  3. "Alekoki". Retrieved May 19, 2010 – via YouTube.
  4. "Na Hoku Hanohano Award". Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2010. Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.