Sam Ku West
Illustration — Sam Ku West Sam Ku West (1907–1930) was an American steel guitar player from Honolulu, Hawaii. He died in Neuilly sur Seine near Paris, France.
Sam Ku West
Public domain
- Born
- 1907
- Died
- 1930
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Sam Ku West. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2216519 · wikipedia · Sam Ku West
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
Statements marked “Documentary record” are set in the article beside the passage they confirm. Each is read from the authority records of the institutions named here; select “Prove” to see the record it was read from, where in that record, and when.
Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Career
Career
West first performed professionally as a member of Irene West's touring band, adding the "West" surname to his birth name, Sam Ku, Jr.. After playing in Singapore in 1926, Prince George of England gave him the name "the Kreisler of the steel guitar". He also played concert harp live, though he never recorded with it. West toured America on the vaudeville circuit and also performed abroad throughout East Asia and Europe. He recorded in 1927 and 1928 for several labels; 27 recordings are still extant. He died in Paris at the age of 23 on September 7, 1930.
Documentary record
Sam Ku West lived from 1907 to 1930 and is documented in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Sam Ku West was born in 1907 in Honolulu, United States and died in 1930 in Paris.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1907
Sam Ku West born at Honolulu.
1930
Sam Ku West died at Paris.
Discography
Partial listing: • Year — Title — Notes • "'Banner Records"' • ca. 1926 (?) — "St. Louis Blues" / "Memphis Blues" — with James Kohono • "'Gennet Records"' • 1927 — "Farewell Blues" / "Sweet Georgia Brown" • 1927 — "Old Joe Clark" / "Ua Like No Alike" • 1927 — "Cunha Medley" / "Cunha Medley" — A-side by "Kulani Trio" • 1928 — "Happy Heinie March" / "Walalae" • 1928 — "Aloha Oe" / "Strange Isles Medley" — B-side by the "Keole Brothers" • "'Victor"' • 1928 — "Le Ilima" / "Huehue Huehue" — A-side by "Holouha Trio" • 1928 — "Kawaihua Waltz" / "Maoani Ke Ala" • 1928 — "Palolo" / "Lepe Ulaula" • 1928 — "Wang Wang Blues" / "Stack O’Lee Blues" • 1928 — "Sunkist Hawaii" / "Na Le O Hawaii" — B-side by "Kane’s Hawaiians" • 1928 — "The Rosary" / "Old Black Joe" • 1928 — "Minnehaha" / "Drowsy Waters" • "'Vocalion Records"' • 1927 — "Someday Sweetheart" / "Honolulu Blues" • 1927 — "Hawaiian Hula" / "Sweet Hawaiian Dreams"
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Sam Ku West, revision 1331130228 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Volk, Andy. Lap Steel Guitar. Centerstream Publications. 2003. 1-57424-134-6.
- 2.Death of Sam Ku West, 1930. nupepa. 11 July 2020.
- 3.Sam Ku West to Have Final Resting Place in Hawaii. The Honolulu Advertiser. 12 October 1930.
- 4.Sam Ku West, Hawaii Harpists, Dies in Paris. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 9 September 1930.
- 5.West, Sam Ku. Discography of American Historical Recordings.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
43,975 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Sam HintonPerson
- Sam HolcroftPerson
- Sam HuntPerson
- Sam JonesPerson
- Sam LakemanPerson
- Sam LazarPerson
- Sam M. LewisPerson
- Sam MostPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Sam Ku West?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.