Mary Kaye

For Mary Kay Cosmetics, see Mary Kay Ash.

Mary Kaye (January 9, 1924 – 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 1960s. 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.

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" was the first custom guitar out of the Fender Custom Shop. A Maple Neck Swamp Ash blond 1954 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 1954, but the color has been re-introduced to the Fender line after the strong international demand for the Mary Kaye color scheme. A limited series Mary Kaye Tribute Strat was issued in 2005 for the 50th Anniversary of the Stratocaster. It can be seen in the 2005 Fender Frontline Catalog along with her personal history as interviewed by Fender.The MK Strat Story at http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?display_article=168

External links

• The Mary Kaye Strat Reissue

Persondata
Name	Kaye, Mary
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 9, 1924
Place of birth
Date of death	February 17, 2007
Place of death