About 2000 miles from the US mainland, sits a small island in the Pacific Ocean. It is the only US state that is located in the tropics and also the only state that is an archipelago. This small island is, of course, Hawaii.
Hawaii is home to incredible wildlife, fantastic scenery, very nice hotels, and pretty girls in flowery dresses. However, anyone who has spent an extended period there, or is from there can tell you that there is much more to Hawaiian culture than beaches, volcanoes, and Hula.
The small island also has a rich musical history and sound. This has given rise to many great Hawaiian musicians. So, I decided to take a look at some of the most famous musicians from Hawaii.
7 Most Famous Musicians From Hawaii
Jerry Byrd
Jerry may have been born in Ohio, but his passion for and contribution to Hawaiian music cannot be ignored. When he was twelve years old, he was struck by the beauty of Hawaiian music. In particular, the Hawaiian steel guitar, while attending a “Tent Show.”
By age fifteen, he was performing in bars, and initially, he had an incredible passion for Hawaiian music. He later also discovered the soothing tones of Country music, and much of his work falls within that genre.
He joined the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940s. Later, he would go on to be instrumental in the career of Dolly Parton, becoming one of the first people ever to sign the country megastar.
As well as having an eye for talent…
…Jerry possessed some himself. He gave guitar lessons to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jerry Garcia, and others.
He then went on to forge a catalog of great recordings on his own. As well as with other musicians which included Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, and Red Foley.
His most notable hits were with Williams and included tracks like “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “A Mansion on the Hill”, and “Lovesick Blues.”
In the 1970s…
Jerry’s love for Hawaiian music was reinvigorated. He decided to move to the island and re-immerse himself in the music as well as the steel guitar. He gave lessons to any musicians who were willing to learn and ended up becoming a treasure of the local community.
Jerry’s passion for Hawaiian music and the steel guitar helped remind the Hawaiian people of how important their music and this instrument are to their culture. For that, he will always be remembered. He had regular gigs at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel until his death.
Poncie Ponce
Ponciano Tabac Ponce was born in Maui on April 10th, 1933. Initially, he trained to be a welder after finishing school but was called up for military service in 1953. It was during his service time in Munich, Germany, that he started learning to play music and got bitten by the bug to entertain.
When he got back from Germany, Poncie started plying his newfound trade in the local club and festival scene in Hawaii. He quickly gained some notoriety, and the locals, as well as visiting tourists, started encouraging him to try his luck in the US.
Going to California…
Poncie went to Los Angeles to see if he could make it as an entertainer. He found his first gig in the form of LA-based automobile dealer Bob Yeakel’s 18-hour talent show called “Rocket to Stardom.” The show was broadcast over KHJ-TV Channel 9 and KTTV-TV Channel 11.
Poncie made regular appearances on the show. Soon after that, he scored a gig working at Ben Blue’s Bar in Santa Monica, California. He had a popular act that drew quite the crowd over weekends. During one of these performances, Poncie was spotted by William T. Orr and Hugh Benson from Warner Bros.
Warner needed actors for a new project called “Hawaiian Eye.” The two big shots felt that Ponce was the perfect fit for a wise-cracking cab driver, Kazuo Kim. He was offered a contract that also required him to change his name; thus, Poncie Ponce was born.
Moving on up…
The show provided the perfect foundation for Poncie to build on. Even though it ended after only four years, he was able to continue performing around the US. As well as on international TV and radio shows in places like Australia and Buenos Aires.
He also released a record with Warner called Poncie Ponce Sings.
Eddie Kamae
Eddie Leilani Kamae was born in Honolulu. His grandmother was a dancer in the court of the last monarch of Hawaii, King David Kalākaua. His family was by no means affluent. And, as a young boy, access to a musical instrument and tutelage would have seemed a far-off thing.
Luckily, his brother drove a bus and found a ukulele on it one day for his little brother to play with. The young Eddie started by strumming along to the rhythms that he heard on the radio. These first influences would have been Latin, Classical, and Jazz.
By age fourteen…
His father had decided to start taking him to jam sessions. Eddie quickly became popular and even started earning some cash from the adorning and somewhat inebriated fans. Kamae also started going to the Queen’s Surf at this point so that he could hear the Hawaiian music being played there.
In 1959, Eddie met Slack-Key guitar virtuoso Gabby Pahinui. The guitar player demonstrated to Eddie how he could make his instrument more dynamic or “talk story.” The two struck up a friendship and also began to compose music together.
Eddie would later become a legendary Hawaiian guitarist. He could play in such a way that he produced melody and rhythm at the same time. To this day, it is a skill that imparts almost mythical status to a player. And Eddie will always be known as the original.
Rising stats…
Eddie and Gabby eventually decided to name themselves the Sons of Hawaii and had their first paying show at The Sand Box in 1960. They soon became the highest-paid group in Hawaii. By 1961, they were able to release their first album, Sons of Hawaii.
The group was quite popular from the start. But, the one problem was that none of them could speak or understand real Hawaiian. Kamae remedied this by traveling to the countryside and learning from old timers not only about playing instruments but understanding the meanings of Hawaiian songs.
He would later also make a series of groundbreaking documentaries about Hawaiian music and culture. Eddie is known for revitalizing the love for Hawaiian music at a time when there was little to no interest in it. For that reason, he is one of the most famous musicians from Hawaii.
Cecilio & Kapono
Henry Kapono Ka’aihue and Cecilio David Rodriguez were, at one point, one of the most popular musicians from Hawaii.
The group was signed by Columbia early in their career and produced what are considered by many to be their seminal albums, the self-titled Cecilio & Kapono (1974), Elua (1975), and Night Music (1977).
Subsequent studio offerings weren’t as popular as the Columbia records…
But, the group has been widely praised by fans and critics alike for their use of a wide palette of sounds. Throughout their discography, you will hear little sprinkles of Pop, Soul, Funk, Disco, Rock, and traditional Hawaiian music.
The two artists also experimented on their own and released solo albums. In 2009, they were awarded the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. As far as experimentation goes, this is one of the best Hawaiian music groups ever.
Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Marianne Elliman was born on the 29th of December 1951 in the Manoa neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Elliman’s talent for music was evident at a very young age. She was able to play the ukulele by age four and had started taking piano lessons by age seven. While attending Theodore Roosevelt High School, Yvonne performed in the school band as a violinist and upright bass player.
She was most noted during this time for being the guitar player and singer in the folk group named, We Folk. She was the founding member, and the group did very well at local talent shows.
After graduating from school…
She took the advice of her music teacher and moved to London at age 18 to pursue a career in music. Yvonne started singing in bars and clubs but was soon discovered by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The duo was moved by her talent. So, they asked her to sing Mary Magdeleine’s part in the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, which featured Ian Gillan. After the release of the album, she was invited to join the stage production, which she ended up doing for four years.
She released her first solo album, Food of Love, in 1973. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to do the backing vocal on Eric Clapton’s cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” In 1974, she went on tour with Clapton and was also offered a recording contract with RSO Records.
In 1977…
The BeeGees were recording Saturday Night Fever and wrote the song “How Deep Is Your Love” for Yvonne to sing. However, the decision was made to have the Bee Gees record the track.
Instead, Yvonne was given “If I Can’t Have You.” The track went on to become #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, yeah, you might say she is one of the most famous musicians from Hawaii.
Alfred Apaka
Alfred Aholo Apaka, Jr. was born on January 19th, 1919, in Honolulu. He played music from a young age and, as a fledgling musician, was touring up and down the Pacific coast with a band during the 1940s.
In 1951, Apaka took up residence at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, where he soon grew to become a much-loved performer. It was during this tenure that Jazz magnet and artist manager Joe Glaser (who had managed Louis Armstrong), saw Apaka and decided to sign on as his talent manager.
A big break…
In 1950, Apaka was signed by Decca Records and started releasing his music. And, when film legend Bob Hope saw Apaka performing in 1952 at the Beachcombers in Waikiki, a partnership was born.
Apaka performed on many Hope and Crosby radio and television broadcasts and made two appearances on the Ed Sullivan show.
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
His name means “the fearless eye, the bold face,” and he is heralded by many as “The Voice of Hawaii.” Additionally, he can be considered one of the most important Hawaiians ever to have lived.
You might not have any idea who he is…
But you are very likely to have heard one of his incredible songs before. He was born in Honolulu to parents who both worked at the same nightclub. His father also had a second job as a truck driver and drove a station wagon at the Shipyard at Pearl Harbor.
His uncle was a ukelele virtuoso, actor, and well-known Hawaiian musician, Moe Keale. Keale was Isreal’s main musical influence in life.
When he was a teenager…
His family moved to Mahaka, and there he met a group of friends with whom he founded the Rennaisance Hawaiian group, Makaha Sons of Niʻihau. The group mixed contemporary music with traditional Hawaiian sounds and released 15 successful albums, and toured the States and Hawaii.
After that, he began releasing music on his own, fighting for Hawaiian sovereignty, and becoming a father. His seminal albums, Facing Future, and Ka ʻAnoʻi, have become legendary in both Hawaii and the US.
Israel’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” spent 185 weeks on the World Digital Songs chart. It is the longest-running #1 in Billboard chart history. Most importantly, he was known as an awesome and kind person.
Interested in Hawaiian Music and Culture?
Take a look at our handy articles on Famous Ukulele Songs You Can Learn, How to play “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen on Ukulele, How to Play Ukulele, and How to Tune a Ukulele for more useful information.
Most Famous Musicians From Hawaii – Final Thoughts
Hawaii is beautiful, calm, controversial, historical, and tropical. It is also home to some miraculous people and musicians. Of course, there are many more who could have been added to the list, and there are bound to be many more in the future.
Until next time, aloha, and happy listening.
