John’s Old Time Radio Show “THE LOST BENNIE NAWAHI INTERVIEW BY ROBERT ARMSTRONG Pt 2”. Recently unearthed interview with the King of the Hawaiian guitar & Ukulele Bennie Nawahi from 1980 by Hawaiian steel great & Cheap Suit Serenader co-founder Robert Armstrong. Also present are Bennie’s wife Betty and his stepson Norman Peterson as well as Robert Crumb, who is also an interviewee and Spencer Quinn. This episode starts with an interview with Robert Crumb from the present, remembering the day he met Bennie and then the 2nd part of the interview Armstrong recorded with Bennie is played in it’s entirety, unedited. In Part 2 they listen to some of Nawahi’s records that Bennie had including many records he personally recorded which have NEVER BEEN HEARD BEFORE (and are currently lost as far as we know)!!!! There is some background talking but I decided not to edit it or replace the known records with clean tracks because the feel of being “in the room” with those guys seems more important than a perfect record listening scenario. Mark Pollock is also present at the Armstrong interview and many thanks to him for helping record Armstrong remotely in this new age of Covid. This is a two part interview of Bennie which will be followed by an episode where Armstrong spins some very fine Hawaiian discs from his collection.

Robert Crumb interview (2021)

Bennie Nawahi interview Part Two

Records played by Bennie (during interview)

1. Vana Vana – King Nawahi Trio
2. (The end of) Hawaiian Capers – King Nawahi’s Hawaiians
3. My Little A-1 Brownie – Charles (Bernard “Slim”) Smith, Nawahi & Benny Goodman
4. (partial) Guitar Rhythm – Georgia Jumpers
5. California Blues – Georgia Jumpers
6. Big Feet Rag – Georgia Jumpers
7. Ukulele Benny – Georgia Jumpers
8. Hawaiian Love-Bird – King Nawahi’s Hawaiians w/ Bill Cody
9. Hula Medley – King Nawahi Trio
10. If I Had A Talking Picture Of You – Hawaiian Beach Combers
11. I Get The Blues When It Rains – King Nawahi Trio
12. Fort Street – Bennie Nawahi
13. Nola/ Swanee River/ Taps – Bennie Nawahi
14. My Adobe Hacienda – King Nawahi Trio
15. Maui Girl – King Nawahi Trio