On the Scene with Dennis Graue

Born in Hawaii and raised in Southern California, Dennis Graue was well on his way as a professional musician when he returned to Hawaii and met Nohelani Cypriano.

Several years later they wrote and recorded “Lihue.” The song was one of the biggest hits off Ron Jacobs’ “Homegrown II” album in 1977 and launched “Nohe” as a solo artist with Graue as her arranger and musical director.

Their relationship — personal and professional — eventually ended. Graue has worked with Keola and Kapono Beamer, toured with Cecilio & Kapono, done studio work at several major island recording studios, and served as Don Ho’s last musical director.

Still active as a recording artist at 69, Graue is music director at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu.

JOHN BERGER: With “Lihue” you created an electronic hapa-haole pop blend that no one had done before. How did you and Nohe come up with it and then expand on it for her Hoku Award-winning debut album?

DENNIS GRAUE: When I was living in South Pasadena (in the late 1960s), surf music was not a big thing for me. I was more into jazz and Broadway and pop, and I loved Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny. Coming in on the tail end of the disco era, we tried to combine all that and disco.

JB: What did you have to work with when you were recording it?

DG: We originally did “Lihue” on a four-track (tape recorder) in Aina Haina, and then we met Jim Linkner and he said we had to come in and do it at Audissey — they had an eight-track.

JB: What was most memorable about working with Don Ho?

DG: He was always the quarterback, but it was a pleasure playing with him and the kind of music he did.

JB: When and how did you develop your impression of Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World”?

DG: I think it was at a (Waikiki) club called Rascals in the ’80s. I don’t know why I did it, but people liked it and I’ve always gotten requests for it. It’s a great song to do.

JB: What are you working on these days?

DG: The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu is a very liberal church, and we’re blessed in having volunteers who are very talented singers and musicians, so we do all kinds of interesting music, from Bach to Broadway to Disney to jazz and pop along with the 16th- and 17th-century hymns. And I’m selling albums of my original music at dennisgraue.com.