| Louis Keouli Thompson | |
| Birth Date: | 22 April 1882 |
| Birth Place: | Honolulu, Oahu, Kingdom of Hawai'i |
| Death Place: | Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania |
| Birth Name: | Louis Thompson |
| Alias: | Segis Luvaun |
| Occupation: | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1900–1922 |
| Instrument: | Vocals, Ukulele, Steel Guitar, Violin |
| Genre: | Hawaiian Folk |
| Associated Acts: | Honolulu Students, The Tawmsen's |
Louis Keouli Thompson (April 22, 1882 – July 15, 1937), better known by his stage name Segis Luvaun, was a Hawaiian singer and musician and the reported King of Ukulele Players.[1] Thompson, native to Hawai'i, claimed United States citizenship when Hawaii was annexed by the United States as a territory in 1898. He performed much of his life, first touring the United States and later throughout Scandinavia and Europe, many times for Royalty.[1]
Louis Thompson was born in Honolulu in the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1882. The earliest known record of him is the 1900 census[2] showing him as a 17-year-old student at the Kamehameha School, then known as the Kamehameha School for Boys. Indeed, Thompson is shown in the school's Class of 1900 class photo.[3] The 1900 census shows both his parents being from the Hawaiian Islands. A 1919 Visa application, filled out by Thompson, records his father's name as Keouli Tawmsen[4] and a 1916 Visa application indicated that his father was deceased at that time.[5] However, on the marriage license to Eveline Walters (shown below), indicates his father's name is 'Carlo Luvaun'. No other information is known about his family.
Thompson married Mildred Elnora Rupp on July 26, 1910, in Chicago, Illinois.[6] At the time, Thompson went by Lu, with his full name on the marriage license recorded as Lu Kaoly Thompson. Rupp was born on October 26, 1893, in Winfield, Kansas.[7] Although Thompson was actually 28 and Rupp was 17 at the time, the marriage license shows them as 26 and 21, respectively. He and Rupp had one child, Billven Keouli Thompson, born December 16, 1911, in Topeka, Kansas. Billven is Thompson's only known child.
Sometime after marrying Rupp in 1910 and before leaving for Europe in 1914, Thompson married Moana. Although little is known about Moana, including her maiden name, one might speculate that she was the inspiration behind Thompson's chart 'Moana Waltz'.
Thompson married Eveline Walters on April 7, 1917, in St Giles, London, England. At this time, Thompson was 35 and Walters was 21.[8] She was born on September 11, 1896, in Somersetshire, England.[9] and her father's name was Gaius Walters
Within three years (1903) of graduating from Kamehameha School for Boys, Thompson had already left his homeland of Hawai'i for the mainland of the United States. He toured there for ten years before moving to London in 1914. In 1919, he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark. By 1922, he once again moved, this time to Prague, Czechoslovakia. His last known residence in Europe, per Visa applications, was Riga, Latvia. He remained in Europe until September 1936 when he returned to the United States sailing from Marseille to Boston. He died of heart failure in a Pennsylvania hospital, on July 15, 1937.
Much of Thompson's career has been gathered through newspaper ads and articles, as well as mentions in books about the Hawaiian music movement at the time. According to Kamehameha School archives, Thompson had left for the United States mainland by 1902 or 1903. Several articles show him touring in the United States as early as 1907 and as late as 1913. In his book How to Play the Ukulele, Thompson records that he was discovered in 1912 while touring in the United States by Sir Walter de Freece, who brought him to Europe. Tracking his travels through passport and visa applications shows that he lived and performed in locations such as London, Oslo, Copenhagen, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland from 1914 to 1931.
Thompson was manager of a troupe called the Honolulu Students that he toured with across various venues within the United States. The stage name that he used while with the Honolulu Students is Professor Lu Thompson Keouli. During 1907 and 1908, Thompson, along with the Honolulu Students toured as part of the Chautauqua circuit[10]
| Date | Location | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907? | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| October 25, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| October 28, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| November 13, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| November 14, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| November 15, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| November 16, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| November 18, 1907 | Chautauqua performance of the Honolulu Students. | ||
| January 27, 1909 | Jamestown, New York Y.M.C.A. | Performance of the Honolulu Students as reported in the Hawaiian Gazette.[11] Thompson listed as Professor Keouli. | |
| Nov 1913 | Newspaper advertisement for "The Tawmsen's" performing at the Orpheum Theatre. |
Thompson appears to have been very prolific with his epithet. Although there is no record of why he chose different aliases, he chose both unique names and spellings at different times in his career. Below is a list of names he was known to use.
Recorded in London, England under the HMV label as Segis Luvaun[12]
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" (Goetz, Young and Wendling) | HO3059ae | B-703 | Hawaiian Guitar, Vocal |
| "You've Got To Do It" ("Pell Mell" Revue[13])(Nat D. Ayer) | HO3060ae | B-726 | Vocal, Guitar | |
| Unidentified Title | HO3061ae | ? | Hawaiian Guitar, Vocal | |
| "Moana Waltz" (Luvaun) | HO3062ae | B-726 | Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "A Broken Doll" (Tate)("Samples" revue) | HO3063ae | B-701 | Hawaiian Guitar, Vocal | |
| "If You Were The Only Girl in the World" (Ayer)("The Bing Boys Are Here") | HO3064/5 | B-703 | Hawaiian Guitar, Vocal | |
Recorded in London, England under the Zonophone label as Juan Akoni
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | "Come and Dance With Me" | y20732e | 1879 | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar |
| Unidentified Title | y20733e | ? | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo" | y20734e | 1802 | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Honolulu Tomboy" | y20735e | ? | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" | y20736e | 1802 | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Hawaiian Medley" (Luvaun) | y20737e | 2055 | Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar | |
Recorded in London, England under the Winner label as Luvaun assisted by Lady Chetwynd
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | "My Hawaiian Butterfly" (--) | (2234) | 3149 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) |
| "Ideal Girl Waltz" (--) | (2235) | 3149 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) | |
| "Come and Dance With Me" | (2238) | 3151 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) | |
| "Moana Waltz" | (2239) | 3151 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) | |
| "Ua Like No Alike" | 5515 | 3240 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) | |
| "Aloha Oe" | 5516 | 3149 | Luvaun (Ukulele/Hawaiian Guitar), Lady Chetwynd (Violin) | |
Recorded in London, England under the Zonophone label as Juan Akoni
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | "Along The Way To Waikiki" | y20972e | 1879 | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar |
| Unidentified Title | y20973e | ? | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Hawaiian Butterfly" | y20974e | ? | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "Hawaiian Butterfly" | y20975e | 1847 | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "The Ideal Girl – Waltz" (Luvaun) | y20976e | 2055 | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar | |
| "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | y20977e | 1847 | Ukulele or Hawaiian Guitar | |
Recorded in Saltsjöbaden, Sweden under the Ekophon label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c 1920 | "Chong Fran Hongkong" (H. Weeks) | W-1152 | NS-1419-I | Segis Luvaun(Ukulele), Ernst Rolf(Vocal) |
| "Ukalele Waltz" (sic) | W-1153 | NS-1715-II | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| Unidentified Title | W-1154 | ? | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| Unidentified Title | W-1155 | NS-1716-? | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| "Original Hawaiian Waltz" | W-1153 | NS-1715-I. Also Beka S-889 | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| "My Hawaiian Sweethearth" (sic) | W-1157 | NS-1714-II. Also Beka S-889 | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| Unidentified Title | W-1160 | NS-1716-? | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| "Sommarsol Till Sista Stund" (Dansk) | W-1161 | NS-1714-I | Hawaiian guitar/ukulele | |
| "Hawajansk Kärlekssang" | W-1163 | NS-1419-II | Ukulele | |
| "Karl Alfred" (Taube) | W-1193 | NS-1417-I | Segis Luvaun(Ukulele), Ernst Rolf(Vocal) | |
| "Titta in En Annan Dag" (Rygaard) | W-1196 | NS-1417-II | Segis Luvaun(Ukulele), Ernst Rolf(Vocal) | |
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under the Grammaphon/Polydor label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c 1920–1921 | "Kilima Waltz" (S. Luvaun)[14] | 141at | 14363. Also Reneyphone 14663; Polypho X/N-14636 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal |
| "If You Could Care" (Darewsky) | 142at | 14363. Also Reneyphone 14663; Polyphon X/N-14636 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Aloha Oe" (von Queen[15])(sic) | 143at | 14364. Also Polyphon X/N-14364 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "The Eve Waltz" (Luvaun) | ---at | 14367. Also Reneyphone 14367; Polyphon NS-98502 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Ja-Da" (Robn. Carledon) | 145at | 14365. Also Reneyphone 14365; Polyphon X/N-14365 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "My Philosophy" (von S. Luvaun) | 146at | 14364. Also Polyphon X/N-14365 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Won't You Dance With Me" (Luvaun) | ---at | 14367. Also Reneyphone 14367; Polyphon NS-98502 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Moana Waltz" (Luvaun) | 148at | 14365. Also Reneyphone 14365; Polyphon X/N-14365 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Wiki-Waki" (S. Luvaun) | 150at | 14366. Also Polyphon 288106, NS-98500, X/N-14366 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" (Irving Berlin) | 151at | 14366. Also Polyphon X/N-14366 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under the Grammaphon/Polydor label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c early 1921 | "Beautiful" (S. Luvaun) (My Beautiful Eve) | 180at | Berlin, Germany | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal |
| "Cuddle and Kiss" (Jerome) | 181at | 14368. Also Polyphon 288109 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Ideal Girl" (Luvaun) | 182at | 14369. Also Reneyphone 14369; Polyphon NS-98504 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Norway (Norwegen)(La Norvege*)" (S. Luvaun) | 183at | 14369, 14370, 07341?. Also Reneyphone 14369*; Polyphon NS-98504, 288113, NS-98500 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" (Kenbroin-Kelette) | 185at | 14370, 07341? | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Hawaiian Lullaby" (Luvaun) | 14371 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
| "Ua Ike No A Like" (Queen Liliuokalani)[16] | 14371. Also Polyphon X/N-288115 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
| "Venetian Moon. Foxtrot" (Magini) | 14372. Also Polyphon X/N-288117 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
| "La Veeda" (Alden) | 14372. Also Polyphon X/N-288117 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
| "Beautiful Heroor" | X/N-288109 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under the Grammaphon/Polydor label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c late 1921 / early 1922 | "You've Got A Million Dollar Smile" (H. Darewski) | 258at | 14373. Also Polyphon 288119, X/N-14373 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal |
| "Hawaiian Butterfly" (B. Baskette & J. Santley) | 259at | 14373. Also Polyphon 288120, X/N-14373 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | |
| "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaisches Liebesständchen)" (Bernhard) | 20306 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
| "You've Got To Do It" (Warum?) (Ayer) | 20306. Also Polyphon X/N-288115 | Hawaiian guitar, English/Hawaiian vocal | ||
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under the Grammaphon/Polydor label with Eric Borchard's Jazzband
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under the Deutsche Grammophon label with Efim Schachmeister
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under Vox label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c Mar 1925 | "I Need Some Bettin'" Foxtrot (T. Fiorito & R. King) (sic) | 2468-B | 6248 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) |
| "Die Nacht war schwül..." Foxtrot (S. Romberg & A. Goodman) | 2469-B | 6231 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "California" Foxtrot (C. Conrad) | 2470-B | 6231 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Waiting Around" (Davis & Hanley) | 2471-B | 6248 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Nobody Lied" (Weber) | 2468-B | 6248 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Shine" (F. Dabney) | ----B | 6234 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "And Her Mother Came Too" (O. Noello) (sic) | ----B | 6234 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Sing Along" (Fr. Wood & O.P. Long) | ----B | 6235 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Somebody's Wrong" (Marshall, Egan, Whiting) | ----B | 6235 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
| "Swanee River Moon" (--) | 2476-B | 6252. Also Derby-571b | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unidentified(piano) | |
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under Vox label with Original Hawaiian Trio (Bruquil, Milissa, San Juan) as San Juan
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c late 1925 | "When The Clock Strikes One-Two-Three-Four" (--) | 2526-B | 6271 | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) |
| "Hawaiian Twilight" (--) | ----B | 6241. Also Derby-571a | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) | |
| "Kilima-Waltz" | ----B | 6241 | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) | |
| "Pua Carnation" | ----B | 6242 | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) | |
| "Dreamy Hawaii" | ----B | 6242 | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) | |
| "Aloha Land" (--) | 2530-B | 6271 | Bruquil/Milissa/San Juan(Hawaiian guitar-trio) | |
Recorded in London, England under Winner label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c Sept–Oct 1925 | "Sunny Hawaii" Waltz | 4323 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unknown(violin) | |
| "My Eve" Waltz | 4323 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unknown(violin) | ||
| "At Dusk" Waltz (Luvaun) | 9634-2 | 4433 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unknown(violin) | |
| "Prancing" Foxtrot (Luvaun) | 9635-1 | 4433 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Unknown(violin) | |
Recorded in London, England under The Bell label as Unknown
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c 1925–1926 | "At Dusk" | 435- | 735, 758 | possibly Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar) |
| "My Eve" | 436-? | 351, 735 | possibly Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar) | |
| "London" Foxtrot | 437–1 | 357, 732, 758 | possibly Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar) | |
| "Prancing" | ? | 360 | possibly Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar) | |
| "Moana Waltz" | 439–1 | 363 | possibly Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar) | |
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under Grammaphon/Polydor label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c Mar 1928 | "Aloha-Oe" Foxtrot (Luvaun) | 63br | 21321. Also Polydor(F)-21321 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) |
| "Sunny Havanna" Foxtrot (Nicholls) | 64br | 21321. Also Polydor(F)-21321 | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) | |
| "Kilima-Valse" (Luvaun) | 65½br | 21322. Also Polydor(F)-21322, Polyphon NS-98508. | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) | |
| "Ma-Oui Girl" Foxtrot (Kealakai)[17] | 66br | 21322. Also Polydor(F)-21322, Polyphon NS-98508. | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) | |
| "Yaaka-Hula-Hicki-Dula" Foxtrot (Bernard) | 67br |
| Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) | |
| "Wela-Ka-Hao" Foxtrot (Luvaun) | 68br | 21323. Also Polydor(F)-21323, Polyphon NS-98510B | Segis Luvaun(Hawaiian guitar), Possibly Nikolaus Brodsky(piano), Probably Segis Luvaun(English/Hawaiian vocal), 2 unidentified(vocal) | |
Recorded in Berlin, Germany under Grammaphon/Polydor label as Segis Luvaun
| Year | Song | Ctrl# | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c Apr 1928 | "Always (Heimweh)" (Irving Berlin) | 132br | 21666 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) |
| "Moana Rose. Lied" (Luvaun) | br | 21417 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Nach der Heimat. Volkslied" | 134br | 21666 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Melodie in F" (Rubinstein) | 135br | 21665. Also Polyphon NS-98514 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Romance of Eve" (Luvaun) | 136br | 21665. Also Polyphon NS-98514 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Marcheta. Lied" (Schertzinger) | br | 21417 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Mondnacht. Lied" | 138½br | 21664 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Lysistrata. Glühwürmchen-Idyll" (Paul Lincke) | 139br | 21664 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "One, Two, Three, Four" (Reading) | 140br | 21416 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |
| "Tell All The World" (--) | 141br | 21416 | Probably Segis Luvaun, Nikolaus Brodsky(vocal-duet), Unidentified(banjo) | |