Al Kealoha Perry was born in Kohala, Hawaii, to a Hawaiian mother and English father. He began singing in 1929 with the Aloha Temple Shrine Chanters, and in 1935 he led the Honolulu Hale Glee Club. The latter singers became the "Hawaii Calls" program's Singing Surfriders when Al Perry joined Webley Edwards. His wife Kathleen managed the Willows restaurant.

While some records were released under Perry's name, he is best known as musical director on most of the dozens of "Hawaii Calls" records. As musical director of the long-lived and enormously popular radio and television series, the venerated Perry marshalled and arranged for the various talent of Hawaii and Polynesia, while Edwards narrated and presented the program to millions. ~ Tony Wilds, Rovi