Hawaiian Music

Led Kaapana grew up in a family of musicians in Kalapana, in the southernmost district of Hawaii Island. His teachers included his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, from whom he learned to sing leo ki'eki'e (Hawaiian falsetto singing), and his uncle, Fred Punahoa. "We didn't have electricity, no television, not even much radio," says Kaapana. "So we entertained ourselves.

George Kahumoku Jr. lives on Maui with his wife Nancy, maintaining their 3-acre farm, growing fruit and vegetables, dry-land taro (for his famous home-made poi) and tending goats, chickens, and ducks. For nearly 20 years George has performed his famed weekly Slack Key Show on Maui, which produced 4 Grammy-winning CDs. He has won multiple Na Hoku Awards. He founded the Hawaiian Music Institute at the University of Hawai‘i-Maui College to preserve the legacy of Hawaiian music and prepare the next generation for music careers. A renowned storyteller, George collaborated on two books

Jeff Peterson was born on the Island of Maui. He grew up on a ranch on the slopes of the Haleakala volcano where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music and guitar by his father, a paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy). At an early age, he began to pick up influences from such Hawai‘i slack key greats as the Gabby Pahinui Band, Leonard Kwan, and Sonny Chillingworth. During his studies of jazz and classical guitar, Jeff explored a wide variety of musical genres. Jeff has worked with a wide range of artists including Eric Clapton, James Galway, and Michael Feinstein and the awa

Stanley Schireson’s father opened up a small music store in 1902 that would eventually branch out into manufacturing and distribution of musical instruments. The company began making ukuleles and acoustic guitars under the Hollywood brand name before developing the Volutone name. Stanley took to the road selling the company’s solid body Hawaiian guitars before World War II. After the war and thanks to Stanley’s leadership, a separate distribution company, called Volutone was created that expanded the product line around the world.

Robert Yates is known as Uncle Uke for a very good reason - he plays, builds, and sells ukuleles. Robert opened his own store, HUG Ukulele, on the big island of Hawaii with his wife Patricia which began as a handmade jewelry store with a few ukes and has evolved into primarily a ukulele store with a smaller amount of jewelry. Robert knows the long and interesting history of the ukulele, which he argues originated in Hawaii, not Portugal, as many people once believed. He also gives great credit to the performers who helped build the ukulele's reputation over its long history includ