Albert Maligmat’s father, Doroteo “Moro” Maligmat, was a professional musician raised in the Philippines who worked a musical circuit that included Shanghai, Hong Kong and the Philippines. When Moro Maligmat discovered his sons — Junior, Tony, Albert and Eddie — performing at a friend’s wedding, he set his career aside to work with them. The quintet became the Rocky Fellers after Junior saw an article on the mega-wealthy Rockefeller family.

The Rocky Fellers played nightclubs in East Asia for several years. They were working in Tokyo when they met Dinah Shore. Shore arranged for the entire family to come the United States and introduced them to some of her friends — Bob Hope, Carol Channing, George Burns and Shirley MacLaine. The Rocky Fellers went from one successful engagement to another.

In 1963 the Rocky Fellers became the first Asian recording artists to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart when their Scepter Records single, “Killer Joe,” a song about a well known dance instructor, peaked at No. 16.

In 1972, Tony Ruivivar, leader of the Society of Seven and headlining the Outrigger Main Showroom in Waikiki, needed a veteran entertainer to fill the spot left empty by the death of his younger brother, drummer Danny Ruivivar. Tony sent Maligmat a round-trip ticket and invited him to check it out.

That visit was the start of an on-again off-again relationship with Hawaii that continued for almost 48 years. Maligmat, 71, plays his final public show in Hawaii at 7 p.m. today at Growler USA, 449 Kapahulu Ave.

To start with the beginning for Hawaii — How did you know Tony?

We knew the Ruivivars from Hong Kong and Shanghai, and our families stayed in touch, and I’d seen (his group) when they were the Fabulous Echoes. Tony gave me round-trip ticket. I went, I saw the show — the SOS was a new group. I saw (keyboardist) Don Gay — I was amazed by Don — and Roberto (Nievera). We rehearsed — I was not a drummer, I played bass, but (Tony) wanted my voice and he needed a drummer. With two weeks of rehearsal I opened on drums.

When did you become “Little Albert”?

When I came in, I was “Bert Maligmat,” and Bert (Sagum) was Bert, and Roberto was “Bert,” but they already called him Roberto. On opening night Tony just went, “And our newest member, Little Albert!” and that was it. I was “Little Albert” for life.

The SOS received a Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, after scoring its greatest achievements as recording artists during your time as a member in the 1970s and 1980s. You sang lead on “99.8,” arguably the SOS’ biggest hit, but what songs do you look back on with the most satisfaction?

Singing “Amazing Grace” a capella in a nightclub format. You could hear a pin drop. The other song is “And I Am Telling You,” from “Dreamgirls,” which we also recorded.

Going back to “Killer Joe,” each verse ends with someone loudly saying “Huh!” Where did that come from?

It was a thing that Jun used to always do in our show. He did it (when we were recording), and our producer said, “What is that? Keep it in.”

What stands out as you get ready to pack up and move to Arizona?

My family legacy taught me a lot. My dad always taught us growing up about the business — how this is good, this is not good. And the SOS was a wonderful, wonderful place for me in those years. Tony and I didn’t always get along (artistically) about how we were going to do the show, but business-wise we were always OK.