"Donald McDiarmid Jr., a legend in the Hawaiian music recording industry and president emeritus of Hula Records, died Thursday at his Kailua home. He was 88," said the Honolulu Advertiser on April 18, 2010.
Don was Jack Vorfeld's cousin by marriage, and in his last years we had a lot of contact with him as he shared a ton of fabulous Hawaiian recipes with me for a website I was hosting. Most were in Pidgin. Every time I visited with him and cousin Alva, he was so full of interest for what was going on, and what was to come in the music industry, particularly.
Sure, he had a ton of memories, and shared them with joy, but he was always looking for ways to apply technology to Hula Records and get the word out about Hawaiian Hula. I have missed our visits, and also those with Alva, who passed away a bit later.
"McDiarmid, said writer Curtis Lum, "was a major figure in the local music industry for more than 50 years and launched the careers of many entertainers. He made the first commercial recordings of Don Ho and was instrumental in the Hawaiian music and dance renaissance of the 1970s."
Read the rest of the article here.
Don and Alva were such legends in their own time, and they contributed in powerful ways to their Hawaii community. Generous, delightful, and very, very smart. They left behind their amazing grown children and families...Flip, Mabbie, and Dee Dee. I pay honor to their memories, because they influenced the lives of many generations through music and education, and did so while spreading sunshine.
