Born Ivar Kinimaka on July 31, 1940, in Honolulu, Kinimaka became a Waikiki headliner in the 1960s when the post-statehood growth of Hawaii’s visitor industry created unprecedented opportunities for island entertainers.

In the years that followed, Kinimaka earned a place on Waikiki’s list of “A-list” celebrities alongside Don Ho, Dick Jensen, Loyal Garner, Melveen Leed, Nephi Hannemann and John Rowles. One of his last Waikiki showroom engagements was performing as a member of “Hawaii’s Very Best” with Garner, Hannemann, Jensen and Leed in 1993 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Kinimaka’s most lasting contribution to Hawaiian music was the song “He Aloha Mele,” which he wrote for his daughter, Chamonix Mele Kinimaka, in 1980. Easy to sing, and perfect for hula, it is one of the most memorable hapa-haole songs written since Hawaii became a state in 1959.