Seattle's first famous musicians, and a mysterious disappearance: the Louise and Ferera Hawaiian troupe

By Jack Brummet, Northwest history editor

This is an instrumental Hawaiian guitar version of Alberto Pestalozza’s 1898 “Ciribiribin." by the Louise and Ferera Hawaiian troupe. Click here to download Ciribiribin. 

Frank Ferera was the first great star of Hawaiian music, and he and his future wife became the first musicians from the remote province of Seattle to achieve fame.  Ferera first visited the United States as part of the Keoki E Awai troupe, and he became famous with the troupe by performing to an estimated 17 million people in a seven-month period at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915.   He married Helen Louise Greenus, the daughter of Seattle businessman, and they toured the U.S. as the Louise and Ferera Hawaiian troupe.  In 1915, they were signed by Columbia Records. “Ciribiribin” was the last song they recorded together.

On December 12, 1919, Helen Louise mysteriously disappeared while the couple were on board the steamship SS President, from Los Angeles back to their home in Seattle. She had apparently gone on deck for a walk at 4 a.m. and never returned.   I thought that only happened in noir movies. . .

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