Born Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, “Don the Beachcomber” is the acknowledged founder of Polynesian pop, Tiki restaurants, and nightclubs in America.

Gantt got his first taste of island culture as a child when his father, a hotel owner in New Orleans, took him on trips to Jamaica.

In 1926, he made his own journeys to the Caribbean and South Pacific, fully absorbing the sights, sounds and flavors of the tropics to better hone his mixology.

At the time, prohibition was still in effect in America, forcing him into the underground as a bootlegger for a short while . By the time he reached California in 1934, it was finally over, and now Gant had his chance to show America his discoveries from faraway lands.

In Hollywood he set up his own restaurant/bar and christened it Don the Beachcomber’s Cafe . After a few years, his identity became so intertwined with the place among locals that he legally changed his name to Donn Beach-Comber, then Donn Beachcomber and finally, Donn Beach.

Even better, his tropical mixology so successfully impressed patrons that in 1937 Donn expanded operations across the street to a new place : Don the Beachcomber’s.

Here, Donn really revved up the exotica aesthetic, decorating it with a wide variety of assorted and random tropical artifacts, spears, mask, bamboo and foliage picked up from his travels.

Just as importantly, he made sure it offered a true sensory experience by installing a hose to patter water on a metal roof above, as if patrons were now in safe refuge from a tropical storm.

With Donn’s wide assortment of tropical potions to lull Depression-weary urbanites into ease, the sensory trifecta was now complete . Like Donn said, “If you can’t come to Paradise, I’ll bring Paradise to you.”

Of course, the story would not be complete without a look at how Donn created his numerous concoctions--mixing and measuring an infinite variety of fruits, extracts, syrups, liqueurs and brandies to strike just the right balance of sweet and sour, dry and fruity, light and heavy.

The most common ingredients were sugar, lime and rum, the last because it was cheaper than whiskey and gin. (This was just as well, since rum was made from sugar cane, a staple from the islands.)

The result of Donn’s endless testing and measuring were 84 new tropical drinks, the most popular of which were the Zombie, Vicious Virgin, Missionary’s Downfall, Shark’s Tooth, Dr. Funk and Cobra’s Fang.

Later, during the end of WWII, Donn briefly served as an air force colonel. When he came back, he discovered that his ex-wife and business partner, Sunny Sund, had taken firm control of the business and opened 16 more Don the Beachcomber’s around the country.

Unfortunately, because of the divorce settlement Donn would not be able to take part in the actual operations of his enterprises, nor open any others. Shortly after, he moved to Hawaii (not yet a state) and opened an unaffiliated Don the Beachcomber’s in Waikiki in 1954, where he regularly hosted Martin Denny’s Exotica combo.

Over the course of the next few decades, ownership of Don the Beachcomber’s would change hands several times, but without Donn’s personal touch the chain would go the way of so many other Tiki establishments during the 70s and 80s.

The last ones closed in 1987, shortly before his death.

Fortunately for us, the story does not end there.

In 2005, a brand new Don the Beachcomber’s opened in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii at the Royal Kona Resort; in 2007, another opened in Lahaina at the Royal Lahaina Resort. And stateside, one opened in Huntington Beach, California in 2009.

It is certainly heartening that the founding father of Tiki restaurants and Polynesian Pop is now experiencing the renaissance he so richly deserves.

Hopefully, we’ll be seeing many more Don the Beachcomber’s in the near future.