The Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau or The Mākaha Sons are a

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

an musical group formed in 1976 on the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

by Jerome Koko, Louis "Moon" Kauakahi, Skippy Kamakawiwoʻole,

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (; meaning 'the fearless eye, the bold face'; May 20, 1959June 26, 1997), also called Bruddah Iz or just simply IZ, was a Hawaiian musician, singer, songwriter, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist. He achieved c ...

, and Sam Gray. The band started its career as an opening act at a small nightclub called Uptown Yokos. The group has changed members several times; Skippy Kamakawiwoʻole died of weight-related health problems in 1982. The name was changed to the Mahaka Sons after Israel Kamakawiwoʻole abruptly quit the group in 1993. The Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau and the Makaha Sons have released 21 CDs, and produced a DVD on their own record label. They have won Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards and

Hawaii Music Award The Hawaii Music Awards were an annual people's-choice awards program established in 1996. The awards were organized and managed by the Music Foundation of Hawaii, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the diversity of music in Hawaii and ...

s. They produced their own signature concert, "Take a Walk in the Country," in Hawaii for many years. They produce and promote young artists in traditional

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...

. In commemoration of the group’s 30th anniversary, the Sons reflect back to the times and places they have had the privilege and honor to have been a part of. Their performances have taken them to such prestigious places as Carnegie Hall in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, and in Hawaii, with performances for both the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

of the United States. They have also appeared on the movie, '' North Shore'' and have been featured guests on shows as ''

The Captain and Tennille Show Captain & Tennille were American recording artists whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum ...

'' and

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

'' with

Bryant Gumbel Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television journalist and sportscaster, best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's '' Today''. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel. Since 1995, he has hosted ...

and

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

. Locally they have appeared on shows such as ''Island Music, Island Heart'' and ''Emme’s Island Moments'', and have accompanied American musician

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

for his CD release party at

Ala Moana Center The Ala Moana Center, commonly known simply as Ala Moana, is a large open-air shopping mall in the Ala Moana neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Owned by Brookfield Properties, Ala Moana is the eleventh largest shopping mall in the United States an ...

. The Makaha Sons formed the Makaha Sons Foundation in 2004, which supports variety of organizations, funding some of Hawaii’s police officers, funding families afflicted with illnesses, and providing scholarships each year to a selected high school senior.

Albums

*No Kristo (1976) *Kahea O Keale (1977) *Keala (1978) *Live at Hanks Place (1978) *Self titled Album (1979) *Mahalo, Ke Akua (1981) *Puana Hou Me Ke Aloha (1984) *Hoʻola (1986) *Hoʻoluana (1991) *Ke Alaula (1994) *Kuikawa (1996)

External links

Official Mākaha Sons website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makaha Sons Musical groups from Hawaii Musical groups established in 1976 1976 establishments in Hawaii Mountain Apple Company artists Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners