George Kahumoku Jr.

• Folk
• Trad

GEORGE KAHUMOKU JR. lives on Maui with his wife, Nancy, maintaining their 3-acre farm, growing fruit and vegetables, dry-land taro (for his famous home-made poi) and tending goats, chickens, ducks, and miniature horses. With over 25 solo, collaboration, and compilation CDs to his name, George celebrates over 15 years of his famed weekly Slack Key Show on Maui, which produced 4 Grammy-winning CDs. He founded the Hawaiian Music Institute at University of Hawai‘i-Maui College to preserve the legacy of Hawaiian music and to prepare the next generation for careers in music. A renowned storyteller, George collaborated on the book A Hawaiian Life with long-time friend Paul Konwiser to capture his hilarious, entertaining on-stage stories. This project led to his film biography Seeds of Aloha. For the last 15 years, George Kahumoku Jr.’s Annual Maui Slack Key Guitar and ‘Ukulele Workshop creates one of the great musical learning experiences in the Islands today, and embodies George’s belief in sharing, celebrating, and perpetuating the unique music and culture that is Hawai‘i.

Led Kaapana

• Guitar

Led Kaapana’s mastery of stringed instruments, particularly slack key guitar, and his extraordinary baritone and leo ki`eki`e (falsetto) voices, have made him a musical legend. He has been thrilling audiences for more than 40 years. With easy-going style and kolohe (rascal) charm, he has built a loyal corps of Led Heads from Brussels to his birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii. Recognition by his peers earned Led 4 Grammy nominations in his own right and 2 wins on slack key compilations.

Like so many Hawaiians, Led grew up in a musical family. In the tiny black sand bay village of Kalapana, there were few distractions. “We didn’t have electricity, no television, not even much radio,” says Led. “So we entertained ourselves. You could go to any house and everybody was playing music.”

Often everybody was playing music at a backyard party, many of which lasted for days. “People played in shifts, taking over when somebody went to sleep,” Led recalls. “You’d fall asleep to the music, wake up….and the music was still playing. That was the best alarm clock I ever had!”

It was at these family gatherings that Led learned to play in the old style, watching, listening, then imitating. Chief among his teachers were his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, and his uncle Fred Punahoa.  “Even today when I play, I still picture all the `ohana (family) getting together and sharing their songs and their aloha.”

Although isolated, outside influences did creep into Kalapana. Like most kids his age, Led loved to rock and roll and also listened to country, jazz, and Latin music. When he’d sneak a riff from a guitar hit of the day, like Pipeline or Walk Don’t Run, into his music his dad would tease, “Hey, that’s not slack key!” But nobody ever stopped him, they just encouraged him to “play what you feel and play with aloha.”

Sonny Lim

SONNY LIM Slack Key Guitarist, Lap Steel Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. A member of Hawaii’s musical Lim Family, esteemed Hawaiian cultural practitioners and descendants of Hawai‘i Island royalty, Sonny was born and raised in the heart of paniolo (cowboy) country on the Big Island. He was originally inspired to play Slack Key by the legendary Gabby Pahinui. At age 12 his Uncle Fred Punahoa, also teacher to renowned Led Kaapana, recognized Sonny’s talent and began instructing him. His professional career was launched as steel guitarist for the renowned Makaha Sons of Ni’ihau with the famous Iz as a leading member. Sonny has since become a respected solo artist, studio musician, and collabortor with leading Hawaiian performers. A multiple Na Hoku Award winner, he performed on several Grammy Award winning Hawaiian CDs including Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2 (Palm Records) and Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Vol 2 (DHC).