William Awihilima Kahaialiʻi (October 17, 1960 – May 18, 2020), known as Willie K,
was a
Hawaiian musician who performed in a variety of styles, including
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
,
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
and
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 ...
.
Early life
Born and raised in a family of musicians in
Lahaina, Hawaii
Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...
, Willie began performing at the age of 8 alongside his father, Hawaiian jazz guitarist Manu Kahaialiʻi.
Career
In 1993, Willie began a collaboration with
Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom
Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom is an American vocalist and songwriter.
Hanaialiʻi is a six-time Grammy Award Nominee. She is best known for reinvigorating the Hawaiian tradition of female falsetto singing.
Her album ''Generation Hawaii'' won four ...
that would last for nine years. The pair recorded, performed, and toured together, and also shared a personal relationship. Their recordings won seven
Na Hoku Hanohano Awards
The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...
, part of Willie's total of 19 Hokus as a musician and producer.
In 2005, Willie's reunion album with Gilliom, ''Amy & Willie Live'', was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
in the first year of the
Best Hawaiian Music Album award.
In 2007, Willie K became one of very few artists to win a Hoku as part of three different acts – his collaboration with Eric Gilliom won Best Contemporary Hawaiian Album, in addition to wins already achieved with Amy and as a solo artist.
Cancer and death
In February 2018, Willie K was diagnosed with
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
and promptly cancelled upcoming performances in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
. In April 2019, Willie announced via his
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page that he was undergoing
immunotherapy
Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...
.
In January 2020, in a video posted to Facebook, Willie announced that his cancer was at the terminal stage. He made the video after a concert at ''Blue Note Hawaii'' in
Waikiki
Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...
. He stated that his "spirits remained high during the concert," which was supposed to be only a 90-minute set, but lasted for two hours. "The crowd deserved it," he said.
Willie K died at age 59 on May 18, 2020.
References
External links
Official site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahaialii, William Awihilima
1960 births
2020 deaths
People from Lahaina, Hawaii
Mountain Apple Company artists
Singers from Hawaii
Native Hawaiian people
Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners
Deaths from lung cancer
Deaths from cancer in Hawaii
Native Hawaiian musicians