J. Aku Head Pupule

Many people in media take on stages names. It may be to appear more ethnically neutral, but more often it is to make their name simpler, shorter and easier to remember. He was born Herschel Hohenstein, and was using the name Hal Lewis. But on the radio he used the on air name J. Aku Head Pupule.  The word "Aku" is a type of fish, also called a bonito, it's used often in sushi. The word "pupule" is Hawaiian for crazy. Thus Aku Head Puple means Crazy Fish Head.. In 1975 he actually sued Mr. Earle E. Aku for misappropriating his stage-name. At one point in the 1950s it was said that Pupule was the highest paid DJ in the world. Estimates ran as high as half a million dollars a year. This will take some explaining.

A native New Yorker, all accounts have him relocating to Hawaii from San Francisco in 1947. He was playing fiddle as an entertainer on a cruise-liner and jumped ship in Honolulu where he waltzed into KGMB-AM and became an announcer. He was young, and broke and slept on the beach. He was fired for insubordination about 2 months later. He scraped by writing for the Hilo Hattie program and writing for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Then he stumbled into a morning slot at KPOA-AM.

While treating that lucky break a bit too seriously he began identifying the time a little too often. Then he gave it incorrectly. A caller called him an aku-head. He kept the name and his style evolved. He mixed cranky political commentary with pranks, stunts and all the zany bells, buzzers and whistles of a Spike Jones routine.

In 1957 in a publicity stunt, Mr. Akuhead then at KHVH-AM and  Don Sherwood at KSFO-AM switched places. It was said that consternation and hilarity ensued. When Hawaii became a state in 1959 he covered the event with all due seriousness on air. This was only 8 years after he had announced it...in yet another prank.

He moved on to 650 KORL-AM around 1960 then 760 KGU-AM before returning to KGMB in 1965. He remained there for 17 years. He was also on KMVI in that window. Hal died in 1983. He knew he was dying. He read a heartfelt farewell message. But shortly before his death he pranked Honolulu one last time with coverage of a parade which included a fictitious appearance by Tom Selleck. Yes Magnum P.I. jokes to the bitter end.

Hawaii Calls!

The program traces its origin to July 3, 1935 when the first Hawaii Calls radio program was broadcast on mediumwave at 7370 kHz under the callsign KEQ. The program was performed live at the Moana Hotel on the beach at Waikiki. The program was created and hosted by Island radio pioneer Webley Edwards. It focused almost entirely on local artists, playing Hawaiian music. At it's peak the program was carried on 600 radio stations across North America and the Pacific rim.Edwards learned his radio chops at KOAC, the campus station of Oregon Agricultural College. On the American mainland the program was probably hear d at 11-m or later. But in Hawaii that was 5pm, a prime-time program. This was via KIO on 25.6 metres. In 1938, station station 760 KGU-AM in Honolulu started carrying it locally. In 1943 KGMB picked up the production from Webley Edwards. But that didn't' last. They handed it off to KHON who in turn passed it to KPOA in the 1950s as it's popularity faded. More here.


The program ceased in 1975 with only 10 stations still running the program. For most of it's run the government of Hawaii had been subsidizing the production costs. Without that funding the ratings book mattered all the more. More here.
For a shortwave program this enjoyed great popularity. Capitol Records released a slew of "Webley Edwards present Hawaii Calls albums." They contained a mix of wave noises, schlock, and authentic Hawaiian music. Many of the featured local artists on these albums went on to release solo albums and even short careers. I own a number of these. The releases dates all seem to fall between 1956 and 1966. Only a fraction of these are still in print.

Webley Edwards went on to be the first broadcaster to announce news of the attack on Pearl harbor and was also present for the surrender of japan aboard the USS Missouri. He went on to the state legislature of Hawaii. The Internet Radio Station Aloha Joe vintage Hawaii calls Programs every Sunday.