Wairati was born on
Ternate, North
Moluccas,
Dutch East Indies, as '
Diederich Gijsbrecht Christo Wairati, son of Andries Egbert Wairata and Antoinetta Cornelia Meulenaar, on 25 December 1929 (or 1930 or 1932). He learned to play steel guitar by listening to Sol Ho'opi'i and Andy Iona records. His family moved to
Yogyakarta,
Java, when he was 11 years of age. There he worked to improve his steel guitar skills while studying, amongst others from
George de Fretes. In 1950, he obtained a music scholarship for the
Royal Conservatory of The Hague and went to the Netherlands. This group featured
Joyce Aubrey and
Ming Luhulima. Having been successful with the Mena Moeria Minstrels, he started the Amboina Serenaders. This group had the same lineup as his previous group, with the addition of a vibraphone-player. In 1957, RCA released "
Rock and Roll and Breezes" backed with "Mahalani Papado," credited to Rudi Wairata & His Hawaiian Minstrels. In 1958 Wairata joined the Kilima Hawaiians group. They recorded "Whistling Guitar," which featured Wairata making bird sound effects with his steel guitar. Wairata's Ambonese background was an influence on the sound of the band. The Kilima Hawaiians toured American service bases, after which Wairata remained in Germany. He was replaced by
Coy Pereira. He worked in Germany for 13 or 14 years, during which he performed as a solo artist and sometimes with his wife. During his time in Germany he recorded three albums. He returned to the Netherlands in 1974, when he formed a recording group called The New Polynesians. Their debut album was issued on the Delta Records label. ==Death==