Musician. Born Mary Kaaihue, she was descended from the Hawaiian royalty of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch. The daughter of singer Johnny "Ukulele" Kaaihue, she was an accomplished guitarist by age ten. In the early 1950s, she headed the "Mary Kaye Trio" made up of brother Norman Kaye and Frank Ross. The group began playing at Las Vegas' Frontier Casino Hotel and was a main attraction of the Las Vegas night scene. She is credited, along with Louis Prima as a founder of the Las Vegas lounge atmosphere where stars and common folk together enjoyed an open party environment. From the 1950s to 1960s, the group recorded 13 albums, 21 singles, made 22 appearances on television and played on four movie soundtracks. Their albums included "Night Life" (1966), "Our Hawaii" (1962), and "A Night in Las Vegas" (1952). In 1956, she was photographed with the trio in a Fender promotional advertisement with a new guitar called the Fender Stratocaster. This Ash blonde guitar with maple neck and gold hardware became known as, "The Mary Kaye Stratocaster" and she was dubbed "The First Lady of Rock & Roll". In 1999, the "Mary Kaye Trio" was inducted into The Casino Legends Hall of Fame.
Musician. Born Mary Kaaihue, she was descended from the Hawaiian royalty of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch. The daughter of singer Johnny "Ukulele" Kaaihue, she was an accomplished guitarist by age ten. In the early 1950s, she headed the "Mary Kaye Trio" made up of brother Norman Kaye and Frank Ross. The group began playing at Las Vegas' Frontier Casino Hotel and was a main attraction of the Las Vegas night scene. She is credited, along with Louis Prima as a founder of the Las Vegas lounge atmosphere where stars and common folk together enjoyed an open party environment. From the 1950s to 1960s, the group recorded 13 albums, 21 singles, made 22 appearances on television and played on four movie soundtracks. Their albums included "Night Life" (1966), "Our Hawaii" (1962), and "A Night in Las Vegas" (1952). In 1956, she was photographed with the trio in a Fender promotional advertisement with a new guitar called the Fender Stratocaster. This Ash blonde guitar with maple neck and gold hardware became known as, "The Mary Kaye Stratocaster" and she was dubbed "The First Lady of Rock & Roll". In 1999, the "Mary Kaye Trio" was inducted into The Casino Legends Hall of Fame.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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