Popularity of Slack-Key Guitar Soars

Ki ho'alu, or slack-key guitar, has come along way since the instrument was first introduced to the Islands in 1832. Mexican vaqueros and Hawaiian cowboys probably had no idea that they were creating something that would not only last but would grow into a whole new genre of music. Today's fans often forget that the guitar was here before the 'ukulele and the steel guitar - both thought of as very "Hawaiian" - were introduced and invented, respectively. More »

Hula Numbers in Japan Are Staggering:

Hula numbers in Japan are staggering: 250,000 students; 220 halau hula. We've talked about and written about the popularity of Hawaiian music and hula in Japan, but we had no idea that it has grown so big. More »

Potential of Honolulu Hula Event Not Yet Realized - After 33 Years

Yes, we've written about the annual King Kamehameha Hula Competition before, and we've talked about it for more than 30 years. It gets better and better, but some things never change. More »

Hawaiian Music Needs Another Grammy Category

Rated 3.0 Stars

It is that time of year again, when fans of recorded Hawaiian music turn their attention to awards ceremonies, in particular the Grammy Awards. This month, for the third time, a Hawaiian music CD will win a coveted Grammy award. More »

For the Fans... Finally... Family - Family CD First Ever From the Delima `Ohana

I know I do not speak alone when I say that it is probably every parent's secret to wish for their posterity to carry on a legacy of what they have been taught by yourself and other family members... Well for Kelly-Boy Delima, founder of one of the most loved Hawaiian Contemporary musical groups of our time, Kapena, his dream has now become a reality, with the recent release of their first ever family CD, "Kupu A`e", where he performs with wife Leolani, son Kapena, and daughters Kalena, and Lilo. More »

The `Ukulele

Although the `ukulele has only been a part of Hawaiian music for a little over a hundred years, it has not only made its mark in Island music but has helped to put Hawai`i on the map - the world over. More »

Slack Key Guitar: It's Happening In Japan Too

Although Hawaiian music and hula have been very popular in Japan for many years, it has taken longer for slack-key guitar to catch on in the land that boasts more Hawaiian musicians and dancers than anywhere - including Hawai`i nei. More »

California Songwriter In Love With Hawai`i

Doug Baker may not be the first Californian to fall in love with Hawai`i. But we can't think of anyone who expresses that love better than this singer-songwriter who has flown in and out of Honolulu so many times over the past four decades. And no other songwriter has spent as many hours in the night skies over the Islands he loves so well. More »

And the Winner Is... Ki Ho`alu, Again!

The second Grammy Award for recorded Hawaiian music went to "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitars - Vol. 1," a CD that features 12 cuts of songs most of us know well. And it features artists that most of us know too. More than 170 new CDs were released in Hawai`i last year; 26 of them were entered in the Grammys; five were selected as finalists; and on Feb. 8, the winner was announced in California. More »

Yes, There Is More to the "Music of Hawai`i" Than Traditional Hawaiian Music

For most of our adult lives, we have focused on traditional Hawaiian music. We can remember when we seriously added more than the occasional hapa-haole songs to our repertoire - when we found out how good some of those songs were, how well they were written and how beautiful they are. But it was still Hawaiian. More »