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 that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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 Wale ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

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 par ...

Early life

Born and raised in a family of musicians in

Lahaina, Hawaii Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. At the 2020 census (be ...

, 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, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

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 called "Barefoot Natives" won Best Contemporary Hawaiian Album, in addition to wins already achieved with Amy and as a solo artist.

Genres

Willie K played many different genres of music including Hawaiian music, blues, rock, opera, and

Cachi Cachi music Cachi Cachi music, also spelled Kachi Kachi, Kachi-Kachi and Katchi-Katchi, is a term that was coined to refer to music played by Puerto Ricans in Hawaii, after they migrated to Hawaii in 1901. It is a "variation of dance music found in Hawaii" w ...

Cancer and death

In February 2018, Willie K was diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

and promptly canceled upcoming performances in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. In April 2019, Willie announced via his

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

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. 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 in Hawaii Native Hawaiian musicians