HONOLULU — Dressed in a bright Hawaiian shirt, raspberry-tinted glasses and his trademark white slacks and loafers, Don Ho creeps into a white rattan throne behind his electric organ and begins to sing "Tiny Bubbles."
The crowd at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel enthusiastically sings along.
"I hate that song," he tells them, mocking his signature tune. He'll sing it again at the end of the show because "people my age can't remember if we did it or not."
The legendary Hawaiian crooner, who recently turned 74, keeps tourists and locals laughing, singing and cheering three nights a week.
Ho's soothing and seductive baritone voice, treasury of stories and warm island personality, have been entertaining generations of fans for four decades.
Few artists are more associated with one place than Ho, a Waikiki icon.
"Hawaii is my partner," said Ho.
And Ho has no plans of stepping down from the stage anytime soon.
"I'll be here for another 30 years," he tells his audience.
Schmoozing with fans keeps Ho's spirit young. Keeping with a tradition he started during the height of his popularity in the 1960s and '70s, he meets with every fan for pictures and autographs.
For Ho, it's not like he's actually working.
"I retired 30 years ago. I just come over and have fun," Ho said. "And it's not like I have to work seven days a week anymore. Like in the old days, I worked 24-7 because my fans would stay up to 3 in the morning. Now, lucky if they stay up until 10 o'clock."
His worldwide base of loyal fans keep returning to see his show — now with their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. And the women still swoon over The Don.
Nina Armstrong, 67, of Orange, Calif., who sat in the front row for a recent show, has seen Ho perform about 20 times since the 1970s. She gushed about a smooch she got from Ho about 30 years ago.
"Years ago, he was always kissing somebody," she said.
Her son, Ray Armstrong, of Sumner, Wash., brought his three teenage daughters to see a living legend.
"My kids will see them as a piece of history of the Hawaiian Islands," he said. "It won't necessarily be their style of music, but he's part of the flavor of Hawaii. When you think of Hawaii, you think of Don Ho."
In addition to "Tiny Bubbles," his other hits include "I'll Remember You," "With All My Love" and the "Hawaiian Wedding Song," which was sung by Elvis Presley in the movie "Blue Hawaii."