At the end of WWII 49th State Hawaii Record Company was founded by Honolulu, Hawaii record store owner George K. Ching. It was so named because many businessmen were anticipating Hawaii's eventual attainment of statehood, however no one realized then that Alaska would actually gain that distinction, and Hawaii would end up as the 50th State. Ching wanted to manufacture Hawaiian records to answer the demand for music in his downtown Honolulu record store. To guarantee authenticity in the recording performances, Ching enlisted with Hawaiian composer and musician Johnny Almeida, known as the "Dean of Hawaiian Music" as the label's musical director. The first 49th State recordings were made using an acetate record cutting machine, in a makeshift studio at Ching's own home. When the technology