Mary Kaye

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For Mary Kay Cosmetics, see Mary Kay Ash.

Mary Kaye, sometimes called the "First Lady of Rock and Roll", was a guitarist and performer who was active in the 1950's and 1960's. Mary Kaye (born Mary Kaaihue) descended from Hawaiian royalty in the line of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, and was born into a show business family. She is credited, along with Louis Prima, as being a founder of the Las Vegas "lounge" phenomenon: an all-night party atmosphere where stars and common folk rubbed elbows in a freewheeling environment. Mary was photographed with her combo, the Mary Kaye Trio, in a 1956 Fender promotional advertisement featuring a new Stratocaster electric guitar. This ash blonde guitar with maple neck and gold hardware later became popularly known as "The Mary Kaye Strat".