George de Fretes

Indonesian artist, born in Bandoeng on December 23, 1921. From a young age he started to teach himself to play the ukulele and Hawaiian guitar by listening to records by Sol Hoopii and Andy Iona Long. In 1938 he formed The Royal Hawaiian Quintet, which became The Royal Hawaiian Minstrels one year later. With both this band and various other ones he continued to perform in Indonesia during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1958, De Fretes went to The Netherlands, where he reformed "Royal Hawaiian Minstrels" and the Krontjong band "Suara Istana". Both bands were very successful during the 1960s. In 1969, De Fretes settled in Los Angeles, U.S.A., where he passed away on November 19, 1981.