University of Hawaii Outreach College
Statewide Cultural Extension Program
Artist Biography: The Hawaiian Serenaders
The Hawaiian Serenaders are comprised of the
husband and wife duo of Richard Tom and Mele
Fong. Richard plays upright bass, Mele plays
ukulele, and both sing classic Hawaiian and
popular hapa haole songs of long ago. Their
nostalgic music of timeless love songs and
stories of Hawaii Nei takes you back to the
Lurline boat days of the 30's & 40's and
beyond. The Hawaiian Serenaders represented
the state of Hawaii at the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC in 1996. Both
locals from Honolulu, they lived on the mainland for many years and
now call Kula, Maui, home.
Additional information:
The Hawaiian Serenaders have strolled through the dining rooms
aboard the Pride of Aloha, and at the Grand Wailea's
Humuhumu Restaurant on Maui, going table-to-table, talking to diners
and playing Hawaiian music just for them. They opened for Kealii
Reichel at a benefit concert for the Maui Historical Society, and have
entertained with Richard Hoopii at public concerts on Maui. While
living in Maryland, the Serenaders performed on Capital Hill, Camp
David, the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History and American
History Museums, at the World Music Heritage Festival at The Mall,
and at other public and private events in our nation's capitol.