Were it not for an unfortunate but timely motorcycle accident, Hawai'i and the world might never have learned to hum classics like "Nalani," "Analani E," or the comic classic "No Hu Hu."
Born in 1904, Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs' musical talents were never in question — he taught himself to play a host of stringed and wind instruments by the time he was 10, and formed his own orchestra at 13 — but it wasn't until a debilitating accident while at his day job as a motorcycle police officer that Isaacs embraced what many considered his destiny.
Isaacs' mother had bought the young prodigy his first guitar with war stamps, and Isaacs promptly converted it into a functional steel guitar. After his accident, which forced him to retire from the job with permanent leg injuries, Isaacs formed a series of popular musical groups, including the Royal Hawaiians and the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders.
Isaacs' career soared on the strength of his prolific songwriting, his wide exposure on the NBC radio network's "The Voice of Hawaii" program and regular gigs at the Royal Hawaiian hotel.
In 1948, Isaacs was joined in the Royal Hawaiian Serenaders by his son Alvin "Barney" Isaacs, who would go on to become one of the most influential steel guitar players of his time. Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs, who died in 1984, also passed on his musical talents to two other successful sons: slack-key guitarist Leland "Atta" Isaacs and singer Norman K. Isaacs.
