Steel guitarist Sol Hoopii (Solomon Ho’opi’i Ka’ai’ai) was born in Hololulu, Hawaii in 1902. He moved to the mainland in 1919, and made his first recordings in 1927. This recording of Twelfth Street Rag was recorded in Los Angeles in 1927 for Columbia. His fluid lines, dexterity, and expressive phrasing made him a much admired and widely imitated stylist.

In 1938, Hoopii joined evangilist Aimee Semple McPherson’s crusade, effectively ending his career as a popular recording artist. Hoopii died in 1953.

12th Street Rag

You can learn more about the 12th Street Rag here:
http://www.ragtimemusic.com/songhtm/12thstrg.htm

And more about Hoopii here:
http://www.redhotjazz.com/shnt.html

And, for the audio masochists among you, here is the same track played by a marimba band, courtesy of the Library of Congress: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/natlib/ihas/service/ragtime/200035783/0001.mp3

Marimbas were a popular recording instrument in the eary years of the phonograph. They recorded well in the acoustic era (when an acoustic horn attached to a lathe was used rather than microphones).