Singer. A jazz icon of her native islands, she headlined at Hawaii's top night spots for 30 years. The child of Japanese immigrants, little is recorded of her early years save that she broke into show business around 1955 as an MC at Honolulu's Oasis. Her vocal talent discovered, she was soon refining her skills at various military clubs around the islands and by 1957 was a top draw on the Waikiki Beach nightclub scene. In 1958 Ethel released her debut album entitled "Exotic Dreams" which featured jazz standards along with Hawaiian and Jamanese numbers and the next year undertook her first tour of the U.S. mainlined. She received good reviews in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York and played Las Vegas with Mel Torme, but soon relocated to Australia. Married to her pianist Johnny Todd in 1964, she made a name for herself in Australia and Hong Kong but in the late 1960s returned home. Ethel was a part of the Hawaiian night life for the rest of her days and during the mid 1970s was seen a number of times on the series "Hawaii Five-O"; she died of a cerebral aneurysm leaving a significant recorded legacy, a portion of which remains in print.
Singer. A jazz icon of her native islands, she headlined at Hawaii's top night spots for 30 years. The child of Japanese immigrants, little is recorded of her early years save that she broke into show business around 1955 as an MC at Honolulu's Oasis. Her vocal talent discovered, she was soon refining her skills at various military clubs around the islands and by 1957 was a top draw on the Waikiki Beach nightclub scene. In 1958 Ethel released her debut album entitled "Exotic Dreams" which featured jazz standards along with Hawaiian and Jamanese numbers and the next year undertook her first tour of the U.S. mainlined. She received good reviews in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York and played Las Vegas with Mel Torme, but soon relocated to Australia. Married to her pianist Johnny Todd in 1964, she made a name for herself in Australia and Hong Kong but in the late 1960s returned home. Ethel was a part of the Hawaiian night life for the rest of her days and during the mid 1970s was seen a number of times on the series "Hawaii Five-O"; she died of a cerebral aneurysm leaving a significant recorded legacy, a portion of which remains in print.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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