Re: [Harp-L] The Nelstone's Hawaiians & vintage harmonica

[Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Very interesting, but I can't find the track of which you speak on that page. Hawaii, incidentally, didn't become a state of the US until August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state.
Hawaiian's appear to express their appreciation of this status by including the British Union Jack in the corner of their state flag!
There was an Hawaiian record label in the forties called '49th State' because that's what they thought it was going to be. I think that status went to Alaska.
I own about  five hundred Hawaiian 78 records, plus vinyl & CDs, covering about one hundred years, but I don't believe harmonica appears on any of it.
Harmonica is about the most un-Hawaiian instrument I can think of. Nevertheless, I'd be interested to hear the outfit you're talking about. That vintage harmonica site has some great stuff on it.
RD

>>> "Mox Gowland" <mox.g@xxxxxxxxx> 14/03/2012 0:25 >>>

The Nelstone's Hawaiians 
After Hawaii as part of the 1898 Joint Resolution had been made the 43rd state , tourism and media had quickly figured how to make profit out of this newly accuired "modern man's paradise".
Later during the early 20's there was a real boom music-wise, especially in terms of hula-rhythms as well as steel and slide guitars.

Surely one of the more original bands of that episode were the Alabama based Nelstone's Hawaiians. The name merged from the two founding members' first names: Hubert Nelson and James D. Touchstone.




What makes this so special is the fusion of classic American folk music and Hawaiian influences. The harmonica is being played in a very vivid and lively manner, employing lots of blowbends and trills as for instance Gwen Foster did too. Rhythmical elements being thrown in via tongue slaps do play an important role as well. The comical part right at the very beginning of "Mobile County Blues" makes it easy to imagine what the groups' show back then might have been like and therefore offers a very unique look back through time...
http://vintage-harmonica.blogspot.com/