The Panama Pacific International Exposition was the 10 month-long Worlds Fair of 1915.  Held in San Francisco, its theme was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, and to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Spanish conquistador Nunez de Balboa discovering the Pacific Ocean. It was at this fair that Hawaiian steel guitar music was first introduced to main-land Americans. The style and sound was quite exotic for its time, and immediately became popular for many decades, being embraced and incorporated into both Western and Jazz genres of the day.

One of the greats to come from this early era of Hawaiian steel guitarists was Sol Hoopii. His career spanned across the period before and after the invention of electric amplified guitars. Many purists prefer his acoustic recordings, but I enjoy his electric material and have chosen a few instrumentals for you to enjoy, so please do.

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