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Bobby Holcomb

 Musician and painter with genial talent

Bobby Holcomb - This artist, originally from Hawaii, died in Huahine in 1991 at the age of 44. He inspired the Polynesians during the entire 80's to a cultural revival through his songs, his painting and his words. Early inhis youth, his half-Hawaiian, half-Portuguese mother inspred in him the wish to find the Ma’ohi roots he was so proud of. His father, an African-American, gave him his rebel spirit and introduced him to swing and jazz. Born in Honolulu, the young metis grew up in the Los Angeles Black community, sharing its joys and its excesses. After high school, he studied painting and music. His various roots are superimposed and they deeply influenced his artistic expression.

He arrived in Papeete at the end of the 70's with his ukulele (a Tahitian banjo) as his only luggage. For 15 years, he irradiated the local scene with his talent and his pulsions. He accumulated musical hits, and upset the politically correctness of local art galleries. Making his mark on people's minds with every public appearance, he was able to initiate the Polynesian youth to controlled difference and a serene metissage. More Ma’ohi inside than most Polynesians, he left us an artistic heritage made of very many paintings and muscal compositions. Bobby definitely earned his place in the pantheon of modern Polynesia.

To listen to:

• Bobby Holcomb, who died in 1991, left us many songs which are now part of Polynesian culture. A landmark CD album recorded with his friend Angelo Neuffer: My Island Home - 1988

Links
To find out more about Bobby and his story, see the article in Tahiti-Pacifique Mag

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