Mary Kaye

Mary Kaye (January 9, 1924 Detroit, Michigan – February 17, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada) [1] was a guitarist and performer who was active from the 1940s through 1960s.

In a 2003 interview for Vintage Guitar magazine, Mary Kaye (born Malia Ka'aihue) claimed to be descended from Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani, through her father Johnny Ka’aihue (Johnny Ukulele) whom she claimed was "pure Hawaiian" and stated, "he was the son of Prince Kuhio, Queen Liliokalani’s younger brother." However, according to the genealogy Liliuokalani put in her biography, her brothers were King David Kalākaua and Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku II. Neither Liliuokalani nor her brothers had any biological children.

The Mary Kaye Trio is credited with founding the Las Vegas "lounge" phenomenon at the Last Frontier in 1953 : 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.

Her son Jay Kaye was also a musician. At the age of 15, he put out his first LP, Suddenly One Summer in 1968. Now a cult psychedelic album, it received little notice or airplay upon its release. He later moved to Europe to play in casinos.

The Guitar

Mary was photographed with her equal partners Frank Ross and Norman Kaye of 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." Only a few were produced in 1956, but the color has been re-introduced to the Fender line after the strong international demand for the Mary Kaye color scheme. A limited Custom Shop series Mary Kaye Tribute Strat was issued in 2005. In 2007 a 57 Reissue Mary Kaye Strat was released for the 50th anniversary of the Stratocaster. The Custom Shop release can be seen in the 2005 Fender Frontline Catalog along with her personal history as interviewed by Fender.

Endorsement Model (MK 001)

In 2003, Mary Kaye received the first officially recognized "Mary Kaye" American Stratocaster, gifted by the Fender Custom Shop. This instrument marks Fenders first official recognition of a "Mary Kaye" model. This instrument, serial MK 001, can be additionally noted by the instruments back plate reading "To Mary Kaye From Your Friends at Fender". The instrument is currently listed with online luxury retailer Luxify.com and their broker INTMIX—The International Musical Instrument Exchange who produced an in-depth look at the instrument, narrated by Mary Kaye's nephew John Kaye.