Bill Tapia
Uncle Bill “Tappy” Tapia (born January 1, 1908 – December 2, 2011) was an American musician, born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His parents were Portuguese. At age 10, Tapia already had been a professional musician, playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” for World War I soldiers in Hawaii.
Bill "Tappy" Tapia | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Tapia |
| Born | January 1, 1908 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | December 2, 2011 |
| Genres | Jazz, Hawaiian |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
| Years active | 1918 - |
| Associated acts | Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley |
| Website | BillTapia.com |
His long career started in Vaudeville and soon after he became a jazz guitarist and ukulele player. He has worked with big names such as Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Elvis Presley and also worked with Hawaiian musicians such as King Bennie Nawahi, Sol Ho‘opi’i and Andy Iona. People think that Tapia is the first musician to play jazz on the ukulele.