ArtistInfo

Kent Bowman

*1923 GB
Spoken Word and World
A.k.a. Kent Hamilton Bowman

Born on September 2, 1923 in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i, Bowman was, according to the "No Talk Stink" liner notes, an ethnic blend of French, Hawaiian, Scottish, and English. He was a graduate of 'Iolani High School and enrolled in the military during World War II. Upon returning, he worked with some of the top businesses in Honolulu and earned such roles as vice president and general manager, roles that he would keep until he retired in 1990. For fun, he used his comedic talents over the radio airwaves with Hula Records' founder Don McDiarmid, Jr., which lead to him developing routines and re-interpreting popular nursery rhymes into the Hawaiian "pigdin English" dialect. While he stopped making recordings after 1969, he would continue to do public performances using the characters he brought to his records, all while maintaining his proper day jobs. He did make one last recording in 1998, reviving his old K.K. Ka'umania character, his first and only album recorded digitally. After retirement, he and his family moved to Las Vegas. He died there on December 20, 2007 at the age of 84.

Genres

• Spoken Word
• World
• Folk
• Children's Music