George "Keoki" Lake

[Laurent Arams]

Friends of George "Keoki" Lake,

It is with great sadness to inform you that, Keoki Lake passed away quietly about 6:30pm this evening.

I'll post the obituary here when it is available, if that's ok / permitted?

[George Piburn]

hōʻoluʻolu

Condolences

Aloha

[Dennis Saydak]

This is very sad news indeed. George was a very special person to me although we never met in person. He tabbed out Blue Skirt Waltz for me for GBD Dobro tuning. It includes special embellishments like harmonics. I will post his beautiful version in the Tablature section.

My condolences to his family & close friends.

[Jim R. Harrison]

Thank you for posting this, Laurent, although it is very sad to hear of Keoki's passing. I met him twice at Jeff Bradshaw's Canadian Steel Guitar Show in Caroline, Alberta about 9 or 10 years ago.

[Mike Neer]

Goodbye to a great gentleman. He will be missed.

[Bill Sinclair]

Goodbye to a great gentleman. He will be missed.

He certainly will. Condolences.

[Brad Bechtel]

That’s a shame. He contributed a lot to the SGF. RIP Keoki.

[Mike Anderson]

Thank you Laurent. I got the news from an old Edmonton friend whose father had played in the Trocadero swing band with Keoki.

Keoki would have been 91 this month, and he lived and breathed Hawaiian steel (and also played great rhythm guitar, bass, and ukulele) since he was a teenager. He suffered with what must have been quite a lot of pain the last couple of years, but his emails show he retained his great sense of humor. Many of the folks here will know this, but for those who don't, he met and played with some of the greats of Hawaiian music during his trips to Hawaii: Barney Isaacs, Sol Bright, Sonny Kamahele, and of course Jerry Byrd. He had such great stories, like bringing Noel Boggs to his house for a good home-cooked meal when he was passing through Edmonton, so he wouldn't have to eat at his hotel (pic below).

I was overjoyed to meet him and his wonderful wife Mary and hang out in his amazing "Polynesian Room," a day I'll always remember. Stunning vintage steels everywhere, surrounded by Hawaiian memorabilia collected over the years, where he practiced and had his friends over to jam.

I'll end this with some photos and video links (again, I know many have seen these, but hopefully they'll be enjoyed by others). Keoki can be seen in the videos playing rhythm on his beloved Epiphone Emperor. E hoʻomaha me ka maluhia Keoki, you lived long and well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HWHwR7DjHM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQA0VZk9_iI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKS04WxHz6w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U82BQYlP_s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywpFTFkbPkI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0gFxyAza5c

Keoki in 1949:



on the "Hawaiian Sunset" CKUA radio show:



with Noel Boggs, 1956:



my pic of Keoki in the Polynesian Room, 2012:

[Brian Saulsman]

This made me sad. Though I am not much of a steel player nor did I know George personally, I always read his posts. He seemed like a true gentleman. RIP.

Brian Saulsman

[Andy Volk]

George was very kind to me and wrote me detailed letters back when I started on steel in the late 80s - early 90s. He knew a lot of the greats and had some wonderful stories - such as inviting Noel Boggs for a home cooked meal and Boggs offering to swap guitars! RIP Keoki - a life well lived.

[George Rout]

My gosh that's awful news. While I have not known Keoki nearly as long as some of the members, we had a close and fun relationship with the music for many years. He taught me a lot about the real Hawaiian music when I came on board. He was kind enough for Mary and him to come on a side trip to Niagara on a trip to attend a wedding in Toronto. I arranged for a couple of my pro player friends to be here and we had one heck of a great afternoon. He gave me hell for having old strings on the CG!!!!!

I will certainly miss him.

[Ian McLatchie]

I'm so sorry to hear of Keoki's passing. I met him only once when I visited his home almost twenty years ago. He was an enormously warm and generous man. My condolences to his family and friends.

[Godfrey Arthur]

Godspeed and Aloha, Sir George!

What a contribution your music and presence has been to the steel community and fans at large!

[Roy Thomson]

Sad News. George was a very kind and nhelpful man. I feel the loss Condolences to his family.

[Laurent Arams]

Ernest LAKE

LAKE, Ernest George "Keoki"
On February 27, 2019, a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday, Ernest George "Keoki" Lake bid Aloha to his family and friends to join the big jam session in the sky. George is survived by his sons Randy and Robert; daughter Debbie (Ron) Willis; granddaughters Shannon (Shawn) Fuhrer and their daughter Hailey, Alanna (Jaron) Williams and their daughters Amia, Jayla and Joelle; sisters Marguerite Helps and Hilary (Rick) Matheson; brother Brad (Christine) Lake; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bill and Ann Michajluk; and his very special friend Laurette Chayer. His loving wife, Mary, predeceased him after 60 wonderful years of marriage, as well as his parents, Ernie Lake and Margie Breach, and a younger brother, Douglas. George leaves behind numerous friends in the Edmonton big band and Hawaiian music community, and in worldwide music associations.

Born and raised in Edmonton, George developed an interest in music at an early age and quickly gained the respect and admiration of his musical peers. He specialized on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar, but he regularly played many other instruments as well. From 1949 to 1952, George hosted a weekly radio program "Hawaiian Sunset", which was broadcasted on CKUA and the CBC radio network. He played bass for years with many of Edmonton's top musical legends, including Tommy Banks, the Trocadero Band, Giovanni Quartet and Brass Trend. In 1991, he founded the Trocadero Orchestra, an 18-piece big band that still performs on a regular basis.

George's Hawaiian Steel Guitar career included one LP and 6 CDs. His LP, released in 1983, featured him playing all the instruments. As a lover of Polynesian music, he visited Hawaii 28 times, the South Pacific 6 times, and regularly performed with top Hawaiian and Polynesian musicians.

In November 2007, George was honoured to perform at the 80th anniversary of CKUA radio and, in the spring of 2017, he was inducted into Edmonton's Legends of Music.
George enjoyed a 34-year musical retail career, initially as the keyboard/musical instrument manager with Heintzman and Co., then as a musical sales associate at the Hudson's Bay Company, and finally as the major appliance manager at Woodward's Westmount. In 1966 he held the distinction of selling the most Electrohome organs in Canada. After retiring at age 55, George continued to be active, teaching Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Ukelele, and leading several Hawaiian music groups.

George and Mary were active for 25 years with Scouts Canada as youth leaders. Both were later asked to instruct new Scout leaders, which they did for five additional years. They were honoured to receive the Scout Medal of Merit awards for their long service.
A celebration of George's life and musical accomplishments will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the Highlands Golf Club (6603 Ada Blvd.). In lieu of flowers and gifts, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the CKUA Radio Network. Aloha Keoki, a ke ola nei kau mele!

[Don Kona Woods]

A true Hawaiian Steel Guitar friend since 1974. He will be missed.