They had a daughter named Ceslie-Ann "Wehi" Kamakawiwoʻole (born c. Later that year, Kamakawiwoʻole married his childhood sweetheart Marlene. In 1982, Skippy died at age 28 of a heart attack. Kamakawiwoʻole's last recorded album with the group was 1991's Hoʻoluana. The group became Hawaii's most popular contemporary traditional group with breakout albums 1984's Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha and its follow-up, 1986's Hoʻola. The Makaha Sons of Niʻihau recorded No Kristo in 1976 and released several more albums, including Hoʻoluana, Kahea O Keale, Keala, Makaha Sons of Niʻihau and Mahalo Ke Akua. His cousin Bill Keale is also a musician. Kamakawiwoʻole's aim was to make music that stayed true to the typical sound of traditional Hawaiian music. A part of the Hawaiian Renaissance, the band's blend of contemporary and traditional styles gained in popularity as they toured Hawaii and the mainland United States, releasing fifteen successful albums. Together with Skippy, they formed the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau. There, Kamakawiwoʻole met Louis Kauakahi, Sam Gray, and Jerome Koko. In his early teens, Kamakawiwoʻole studied at Upward Bound (UB) of the University of Hawaii at Hilo and his family moved to Mākaha. Kamakawiwoʻole remained in Hawaii as his brother Skippy entered the Army in 1971 and his cousin Allen moved to the mainland in 1976. Hawaiian musician Del Beazley spoke of the first time he heard Kamakawiwoʻole perform, when, while playing for a graduation party, the whole room fell silent on hearing him sing. Kamakawiwoʻole began playing music with his older brother, Henry Kaleialoha Naniwa Kamakawiwoʻole III ("Skippy"), and cousin Allen Thornton at the age of 11 after being exposed to the music of Hawaiian entertainers of the time such as Peter Moon, Palani Vaughan, Keola Beamer and Don Ho, who frequented the establishment where Kamakawiwoʻole's parents worked. Kamakawiwoʻole was raised in the community of Kaimuki, where his parents had met and married. The notable Hawaiian musician Moe Keale was Kamakawiwoʻole's uncle and a major musical influence. His mother was the manager while his father was a bouncer his father was also driver of a sanitation truck at the U.S. and Evangeline "Angie" Leinani Kamakawiwoʻole, who worked at a popular Waikiki nightclub. Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole was born at Kuakini Medical Center on May 20, 1959, in Honolulu to Henry "Hank" Kaleialoha Naniwa Kamakawiwoʻole Jr. He was named " The Voice of Hawai‘i" by NPR in 2010. The song has had 358 weeks on top of the World Digital Songs chart, making it the longest-leading number-one hit on any of the Billboard song charts.Īlong with his ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres, such as jazz and reggae, Kamakawiwoʻole remains influential in Hawaiian music, and is seen by many as the greatest Hawaiian musician of all time. His medley of " Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was released on his albums Ka ʻAnoʻi and Facing Future, and was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and television commercials. Kamakawiwoʻole achieved commercial success outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole ( Hawaiian pronunciation: meaning 'the fearless eye, the bold face' May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Bruddah Iz or just simply IZ, was a Hawaiian musician, singer, songwriter, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist.
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