took steel guitar lessons from M. K. Moke, a friend of one of his uncles. Depending on when he related the story, it was either one lesson for $20, or multiple lessons for an unknown sum. Through Moke, he met fellow steel guitar student and future wife Rose Ka‘ohu from Kohala, Hawaii. At the time, Rose was a seasoned performer who could sing, dance, and play an instrument. Along with her sisters, she was part of the John Kameaaloha Almeida shows. When Riviere opted to take her show on a tour of Asia, Rose auditioned and became part of the troupe. Rose and Tau married shortly after the tour left Honolulu. She went into labor in the middle of a performance in Kyoto, and their son Lani was born on July 13, 1929. Riviere's troupe broke up during the tour, partially due to her financial difficulties. Most of the troupe signed on with Ernest Kaʻai. Tau and Rose split off into their own act. The Moe family spent the next decade performing around the world before World War II broke out, staying long enough in several areas to become fluent in multiple languages. By the time he was 4 years old, Lani was performing on stage with his parents. World War II In his later years, Tau related that the family had been in and out of Germany for 40 years. During World War II, the Moe family assisted with collections for Winterhilfswerk (Winter Help), a fund for German orphans. In recognition for their charity work, the family was summoned to meet Adolf Hitler. Although Rose and Tau were not comfortable with meeting him, they were powerless to do anything when Hitler arranged for Lani to ride in the Winterhilfswerk parade in his state limousine. The Moe family helped smuggle a friend's valuables out of (Germany), partially by Rose wearing three fur coats and explaining to the border guards that people from Hawaii were not acclimated to the cold in Germany. Tau and Rose and family were very compassionate, helping Jews escape from Germany prior to World War II, by dressing them up in the Tau family's stage costumes. At one point, the family lived over a Jewish-owned bookstore. They were captive witnesses when the Gestapo made a late-night raid burning not only the store's contents, but also burned the store's owners alive atop the pile of burning books. The