Dennis David Kahekilimamaoikalanikeha Kamakahi (March 31, 1953 – April 28, 2014) was a Hawaiian slack key guitarist, recording artist, music composer, and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

minister. He was a three-time

Grammy Award 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 pr ...

winner, and in 2009 he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

Professional music career

In 1972, Kamakahi became a member of a Hawaiian music group known as Na Leo O Nu'uanu. His first recording with Na Leo O Nu'uanu was the album ''Ia 'Oe E Ka La Volume 1'', released on the Nakahili Productions label with Palani Vaughan. It was the first of a series of albums based on the life of King David Kalakaua. The second recording of the group, released 1974, was recorded live at a music festival in Waimea, Hawaii, called The Waimea Music Festival. The festival featured many of Hawaii's popular entertainers of the time including

Gabby Pahinui Philip Kunia Pahinui (; April 22, 1921 – October 13, 1980), known as Gabby Pahinui, was a slack-key guitarist and singer of Hawaiian music. Born into a struggling family, Gabby was born Charles Kapono Kahahawai Jr. and later ''hānaied'' wi ...

, Fred Punahoa, The Sunday Manoa and

Genoa Keawe 'Aunty' Genoa Leilani Adolpho Keawe-Aiko (October 31, 1918 – February 25, 2008) was a Hawaiian musician. Keawe was born on the island of Oʻahu in the Kakaʻako district of Honolulu and grew up in Lā'ie. She was an icon in Hawaiian mus ...

. It was his tenure with

Eddie Kamae Edward Leilani "Eddie" Kamae (August 4, 1927 – January 7, 2017) was one of the founding members of Sons of Hawaii. He was a 'ukulele virtuoso, singer, composer, film producer and primary proponent of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance. Biog ...

and the Sons of Hawaii (1974–95) after replacing

that led Kamakahi to become one of Hawaii's most prolific songwriters in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language ...

, composing around 500 songs. In 1974, Kamakahi recorded with the Sons of Hawaii for the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, ...

's ''Music of the World'' series. This was the beginning of seven albums under the Hawaii Sons label and the recording of many of Kamakahi's music compositions. In 1978 he became a member of the

American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

and created Naukilo Publishing Company, a music publishing firm. From 1988 until 2004, he continued to work with Kamae, recording soundtracks for several Hawaiian documentary films: ''LI‘A: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Man'', ''Listen to the Forest'', ''The Hawaiian Way: The Art and Tradition of Slack Key Music'', ''Words, Earth & Aloha: The Source of Hawaiian Music'', ''Luther Kahekili Makekau: A One Kine Hawaiian Man'', ''Hawaiian Voices: Bridging Past to Present'', ''Sons of Hawai'i: A Sound, A Band, A Legend'', ''Hawaiian Son: The Life and Music of Eddie Kamae'' and ''Keepers of the Flame: The Legacy of Three Hawaiian Women'', all produced by Eddie and Myrna Kamae as part of the Hawaiian Legacy Foundation series. Dennis Kamakahi

Kamakahi launched his solo career in 1996, releasing his first slack key guitar CD ''Pua'ena'', (''Glow Brightly'') co-produced by Howard Johnston and pianist

George Winston George Winston (born December 26, 1949) is an American pianist, guitarist, harmonicist, and record producer. He was born in Michigan and raised mainly in Montana ( Miles City and Billings), as well as Mississippi and Florida. He is best known fo ...

, under

Dancing Cat Records Dancing Cat Records is a record label founded in 1983 by pianist George Winston to publish both his music and music in the Hawaiian slack-key guitar style. Its mission later expanded to cover other Hawaiian musicians. Dancing Cat's albums were or ...

. In 1998 he released his second slack key guitar CD for Dancing Cat Records together with son David Kamakahi on the ukulele. The CD was called ''Ohana'' (''Family''). It was soon followed by another Dancing Cat Records release, ''Hui Aloha'' (''Play Together''), featuring both Dennis and David Kamakahi, George Kuo, and Martin Pahinui. In 2003 under his own recording label, Dennis Kamakahi Productions, he released a second album with son David, ''The Gift of Music - From Father to Son''. The CD included narration between each song to explain its meaning. In 2003, both Kamakahi and David became involved with the Walt Disney Studios to provide vocal and instrumental the animated film '' Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'' (released in August 2005) as well as the soundtrack, released on Island Favourites. It was also at this time that Kamakahi became a member of SAG

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

. Kamakahi produced an album featuring his son in 2004 entitled ''Pa'ani'' (''Play''). The CD was the first solo ukulele effort of David and garnered a

Na Hoku Hanohano Award 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 ...

from the

Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts 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 ...

for Contemporary Album of the Year in 2005. At that same Award Ceremony, Kamakahi was honored with the Na Hoku Hanohano Kiho'alu Award (Slack Key Award) by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts. At the

49th Grammy Awards The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Staples Ce ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, on February 11, 2007, Kamakahi received his first

for Best Hawaiian Album for the slack key guitar compilation CD ''Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'', part of the recorded live concerts at

Kapalua Kapalua is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. A resort development by the Maui Land & Pineapple Company extends inland from Kapalua Bay and Honolua Bay. The population was 495 at the 2020 census. Geography ...

, Maui, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Kamakahi received his second Grammy in the Hawaiian Music Category in 2008 at the

50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...

in Los Angeles for the slack key guitar compilation CD ''Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'', part of the second recorded live concert series at the Napilikai Resort Hotel in Kapalua, Maui. He also joined the

Music Teachers National Association Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is an American nonprofit professional organization for the support, growth, and development of music-teaching professionals, with more than 17,000 members in 50 states, and more than 500 affiliated loc ...

that year to continue the teaching and advancement of music composition to students. Kamakahi was nominated for a third Grammy in 2009 at the

51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...

with the slack key compilation CD ''The Spirit of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'', a third recorded live series at the Napilikai Resort Hotel in Kapalua, Maui. The CD did not win the award, but Kamakahi did receive his first gold Grammy Nominee medal as a record producer. Kamakahi was nominated a fourth time for a Grammy Award for his slack key compilation CD '' The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Volume 2 - Live in Maui'' and won his third Grammy for Best Hawaiian Music Album at the

52nd Grammy Awards The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares P ...

on January 31, 2010. In 2009, Kamakahi was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the

as a member of the Sons of Hawaii and inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall Of Fame. Until his death, Kamakahi continued to perform in live concerts in Hawaii and abroad, and teach Hawaiian slack key guitar, the history of Hawaiian songs and their meaning, and songwriting workshops in both Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. He died of

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 tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

in 2014.

Awards and recognitions

*1978 - Nani Awards from the Hawaiian Music Foundation for the best new Hawaiian Song, "Sweet Weuweu". *1980 -

from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts New Hawaiian Song of the Year: "E Hihiwai" *1985 - Frank P. Kernohan Award from the Kamehameha Schools for distinguished achievement in the field of music. *1987 - Honolulu City Council Resolution for distinguished achievement in the field of Hawaiian music. *1997 - Na Hoku Hanohano Awards - Best Male Vocalist of the Year Nomination from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts for the album ''Pua'ena'' (Dancing Cat Records). *1999 - Na Hoku Hanohano Awards - Best Male Vocalist of the Year Nomination from the (

) for the album ''Ohana'' (Dancing Cat Records). *2001 - Proclamation from the Office of the Mayor, City and County of Honolulu designating August 19, 2001, Dennis Kamakahi Kiho'alu 2001, 19th Annual Slack Key Guitar Festival Day *2005 - Na Hoku Hanohano Awards from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts - Kiho'alu Award (Slack Key Award) *2006 - State Foundation on Culture and Arts Individual Fellowship (State of Hawaii) *2006 - Featured artist on two Hawaiian Slack Key CDs, both nominated for the 49th Grammy Awards held on February 11, 2007, in Los Angeles, CA. *2007 - Grammy Award winner for Best Hawaiian Album ''Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui''. *2007 - State of Hawaii House of Representatives Resolution in honor of winning Grammy Award in the Hawaiian Music category. *2008 - featured artist on CD ''Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'' nominated for the 50th Grammy Awards held February 10, 2008, in Los Angeles, CA. *2008 - Grammy Award winner for Best Hawaiian Album, ''Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui''. *2009 - Nominated for third Grammy Award for both performer and producer for the slack key guitar album ''The Spirit of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui''. *2009 - Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts. *2009 - Newly inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame with formal induction ceremonies held in May 2010. *2009 - Nominated for third Grammy Award on two CDs: ''The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2'' and

Amy Hanaiali'i Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''" Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

's ''Family and Friends of Hawaii''. *2009 - Wins third Grammy Award for ''The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2''. *2010 - Nominated for fourth Grammy Award for the CD ''Amy Hanaiali'i and the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters''. *2011 - Featured on movie soundtrack of

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

's film ''

The Descendants ''The Descendants'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the mai ...

''. *2012 - Wins Slack Key Album of the Year 2012 Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts for the CD Waimaka Helelei (Aumakua Records). *2013 - First Hawaiian musician to donate guitar to the Smithsonian American History Museum. *2013 - Wins two Na Hoku Hanohano Awards: DVD of the Year for ''The Hawaiian Legends'' and Slack Key Compilation of the Year for ''Live From the Lana'i Slack Key Festival''. Also honored with the Kiho'alu Foundation's Kiho'alu (Slack Key) Award at the 2013 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.

Discography

*''‘Ia ‘Oe E Ka La Vol. 1'' (1973) *Waimea Music Festival (1974) *''Eddie Kamae presents The Sons of Hawaii'' HS1001 (1974) *''The Music of Hawaii'' - The National Geographic Society (1974) *''Eddie Kamae presents The Sons of Hawaii'' HS2002 (1975) *''Eddie Kamae presents The Sons of Hawaii'' HS3003 (1976) *''Eddie Kamae presents The Sons of Hawaii'' HS4004 (1977) *''Christmas Time with Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii'' HS5005 (1978) *''Eddie Kamae presents the Sons of Hawaii'' HS6006 (1979) *''Eddie Kamae presents the Best of the Sons of Hawaii'' HS7007 (1981) *''Pua’ena'' (1996) *''‘Ohana'' (1998) *''Hui Aloha'' (1999) *''Crossroads'' w/Na ''‘Oiwi'' (2001) *''Na ‘Oiwi - The Sequel'' (2002) *''The Gift of Music - From Father To Son'' (2003) *''Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii'' (2004) *David Kamakahi - ''Pa'Ani'' (2004) *'' Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'' - DVD (2005) *'' Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'' CD (2005) *Dennis Kamakahi - featured artist on ''Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar'' (2007) (nominated for

(2006) *Dennis and David Kamakahi - featured artists on ''Hawaiian Slack Key Kings'' (2007) (nominated for Grammy Award (2006) *Eddie Kamae and Friends (2006) *Dennis Kamakahi receives first

(Hawaiian Music category) for the slack key guitar CD ''Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui'' (2007) *Dennis Kamakahi nominated for

(Hawaiian Music category) for the slack key guitar CD ''Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui'' (2008) *Dennis Kamakahi receives second

(Hawaiian Music category) for the slack key guitar CD ''Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui'' (2008) *Dennis Kamakahi- featured artist on ''The Spirit of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live in Maui'' (2008) *Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii - ''Yesterday and Today'' (2008) *Dennis Kamakahi- featured artist on ''The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2'' (2009) *Dennis Kamakahi - featured artist on Amy Hanaiali'i's CD ''Friends and Family'' (2009) *''Rev. Dennis Kamakahi- The Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' (2009) *Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii - ''Yesterday and Today Vol. 2'' (2009) *Dennis Kamakahi receives third

(Hawaiian Music category) for the slack key guitar CD ''The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2'' (2009) *Dennis Kamakahi records on Amy Hanaiali'i and the Hawaiian Slack Key Masters (2010) *Dennis Kamakahi featured on movie soundtrack of George Clooney's film ''The Descendants'' (2011) *Dennis Kamakahi and Stephen Inglis - ''Waimaka Helelei'' CD (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamakahi, Dennis 1953 births 2014 deaths Deaths from lung cancer Hawaiian music Kamehameha Schools alumni Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners Native Hawaiian musicians Slack-key guitarists Writers from Hawaii