Mary Kaye

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For Mary Kay Cosmetics, see Mary Kay Ash.

Mary Kaye (born January 9, 1924- died February 17, 2007) [1], sometimes called the "First Lady of Rock and Roll", was a guitarist and performer who was active in the 1950s and 1960's. Mary Kaye (born Mary Ka'aihue) 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 Kaye died in a Las Vegas hospital of pulmonary disease on February 17, 2007.

[edit] The Guitar

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". A slab-board blond 1962 Fender Stratocaster guitar, the Mary Kaye model, is one of the most expensive and highly collectable guitars in the world. Only a few were produced in 1962, but the color has been re-introduced to the Fender line after the strong international demand for the Mary Kaye color scheme.

[edit] External links

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