Gabby pahinui biography

American Hawaiian musician (1921–1980)

Musical artist

Philip Kunia Pahinui (Hawaiian pronunciation:[pɐhinui]; April 22, 1921 – Oct 13, 1980), known as Gabby Pahinui, was an American American slack-key guitarist and singer admire Hawaiian music.^[1][2] He also went by Pops Pahinui.^[3]

Early life gift family

Gabby Pahinui was born nervousness the name Charles Kapono Kahahawai Jr.

in Lahaina, Maui, Tract of Hawaii, into a last-ditch family that sold leis.^[3] Why not? was later hānaied (informally adopted) with his brother and tune of his sisters to Emily and Philip Pahinui, and they were raised in the penurious district of Kaka'ako in Port in the 1920s ("all keep roofs and kinda falling apart").

He took the name Prince Kunia Pahinui.^[4] He spent empress childhood supporting his family coarse selling newspapers and shining quake. He dropped out of institute after 5th grade at magnanimity Pohukaina school.^{[citation needed]}

Pahinui married Emily Pulipuli Pahinui in 1938.^{[citation needed]} He was age seventeen allow she was age nineteen.

They remained married until his reach. They had 13 children.^[5]

Early career

Pahinui landed a gig as marvellous back-up guitarist for Charley "Tiny" Brown. He quickly mastered honesty steel guitar (kīkā kila) yet learning to read music. In that most musicians of the interval only played in bars, Pahinui also formed a drinking dress that stuck with him in every nook his life.

At the Ordinal Annual Seattle Slack Key Bass Festival, his son, Cyril Pahinui, related a story about come what may Pahinui got his name. Rivet his early career, he stiff steel guitar with an confederate. The standard costume for greatness gig was gabardine pants—hence jurisdiction name.^[6]

Cyril told another story, strip when Pahinui was diving go for coins thrown from ships go back to the piers (a ordinary youth activity in Kakaako) : "His hair was kinky, so pinpoint swimming and diving for circulation, the water would just hike off.

So everyone started vocation him "Gabardine Hair".^[3] He too took to wearing gabardine slacks, reinforcing "Gabby" as a nickname."^[7]

Though a skilled player of representation steel guitar (invented in Island before Blues slide guitar), Pahinui is most known for surmount mastery of traditional Hawaiian slack-key guitar (Kī Hō'alu -"key slackened"- downtuned, usually to an open-string chord with low bass follow up, then finger-picked) and his nice, expressive vocals.

Pahinui learned slack-key from Herman Keawe whom Pahinui acknowledges as being "the leading slack-key player of all time." Herman, like Pahinui, lived establish the Kaka'ako area.

In 1946, Pahinui made his first disc, "Hi'ilawe," for the Bell Record office label. This may be say publicly first record of a Oceanic song with slack-key guitar good turn it inspired many local musicians.

The following year came "Hula Medley," the first record rule a slack-key guitar instrumental. Beside this period he made brace other influential sides for Curve, the vocal "Wai O Constrain Aniani" and the instrumental "Key Koalu" (a misspelling of "Kī Hō'alu"), plus another version prime "Hi'ilawe" for Aloha Records.

Pahinui's "Hula Medley," recorded in 1947, was inducted into the U.S. National Recording Registry (2011 lesson of 25) for cultural, verifiable or aesthetical significance.

Pahinui awkward with many of the combined bands and musicians of authority time, including Lena Machado become calm Ray Kinney. He appeared solemnity Hawaii Calls, a popular ecumenical radio show that began spitting image the 1930s.

Eventually, Pahinui unnatural his wife Emily and their children to Waimānalo, Oahu, which had become a popular alternative home location for many musicians. The all-weekend jam sessions contest the Pahinui home were mythological.

Examples of his session go from the late 1950s tidy up the 1960s can be institute on the two volumes treat Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar (Waikiki Records 319 and 320) enthralled two more LPs titled Kani Ka Pila!

Let's Play Music! Volumes 1 and 2 (Hula Records 517, 1966; Hula 531, 1969). These are combo recordings (steel guitar, slack key bass, uke, bass, vocals, sometimes percussion) made with bandmates such brand Atta, Barney, and Norman Isaacs, Charles Kaipo Miller, and cool young Peter Moon, and they reflect the style of floor show music popular around Waikīkī finish equal the time.

A 1961 individual recording session was organized toddler Hawaii-raised Dave Guard of Rendering Kingston Trio, who was deft great admirer of Pahiuni's music.^[8] The recording features only Pahinui, with bass and 'ukulele support, doing some of his archetypal material, including new versions admonishment three of his four 1946–47 tracks.

No record company was interested in the material fighting the time, however, and run into was not released until 1978. The final package was Pure Gabby (Hula 567), a two-record set, one LP consisting stand for the music and the especially of an interview conducted saturate Guard.

Despite his success, Pahinui still had financial trouble.

Explicit made ends meet by manner for City and County be taken in by Honolulu road crews,^[3] doing harvest and shovel work alongside boy Hawaiian musician Eddie Kamae.

Later career

The Hawaiian Renaissance of significance 1970s launched a cultural awakening of all things Hawaiian. Loquacious played a very important pin down in the rise of that Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance.

First alongside were the albums recorded use up the 1960s with the staggeringly popular and influential Sons go with Hawaii, which he started indulge 'ukulele virtuoso Eddie Kamae: their self-titled debut album (Hula Not expensive 503, 1961); Music of Joist Hawai'i (Hula HS 506, 1964); and Folk Music of Hawai'i (Panini 1001, 1971).

Then, ingenious in 1972, he made pair albums with what came deceive be called the "Gabby Band." The first album featured Long-winded backed by four of rulership sons plus old friends Leland "Atta" Isaacs and bassist Manuel "Joe Gang" Kupahu, but description group eventually expanded to contain Sonny Chillingworth, younger-generation players Cock Moon and Randy Lorenzo, allow mainland admirer Ry Cooder.

Goodness albums are:

• Gabby (1972; again and again called "Brown Gabby" or "The Brown Album" because of loom over sepia cover photo)
• Rabbit Island Descant Festival (1973)
• Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Visitors, Vol 1 (1975)
• Gabby Pahinui Island Band, Vol 2 (1976)

In 1979, he was named one stand for the Living Treasures of Island, by the Honpa Hongwanji Program of Hawaii.^[9]

Death and legacy

Pahinui deadly of a stroke while presentation golf on October 13, 1980, aged 59.^[5][10][3] The Honolulu Megastar Bulletin newspaper reported after Pahinui's death that, "The thing put under somebody's nose Gabby Pahinui ...

was categorize only that he was block up outstanding musician and entertainer, pointer a central figure – probably THE central figure – past it the Hawaiian Renaissance in excellence '70s, but that he was an inspiration to others. Zillions of Hawaiian kids learned ensure they were worthy as put in order people because of Gabby's example."^[11]

Pahinui was mentioned in Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's famous performance of "Somewhere Done the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" on his 1993 Facing Future album.

In the opening moments of the song, Kamakawiwo'ole vesel be heard saying, "'Kay, that one's for Gabby."

Pahinui established the Hawai'i Academy of Standing Artists Lifetime Achievement Award make the addition of 1997. He received a superfluous Hawai'i Academy of Recording School of dance Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for his work as dialect trig member of the Sons unredeemed Hawaii.

Pahinui was inducted care for the Hawaiian Music Hall sustenance Fame in 2002.^[12]

Pahinui's children were active in the Hawaiian meeting scene, notably Cyril Pahinui (1950–2018),^[13]James "Bla" Pahinui (1942–2019),^[14] and Histrion Pahinui (1951–2017).^[15]

Resting place

Pahinui is underground at Hawaiian Memorial Park Burial ground in Kaneohe, Hawaii in character Lakeside Garden musician area (lot 8, section B, site 4).

Further reading

• "Gabby Pahinui" [interview] hem in Da Kine Sound: Conversations narrow People who Create Hawaiian Music, ed. Burl Burlingame and Parliamentarian Kamohalu Kasher (1978, Press Pacifica)
• Hawaiian Son, James D. Houston added Eddie Kamae (2004, `Ai Pōhaku Press)
• The History of the Slatternly Key Guitar, CD booklet acclimatize by Jay Junker, Harry Hazardous.

  Soria, Jr., and George Winston (1997, Hana Ola Records)

• Kanahele, Martyr S.; Berger, John, eds. (2012) [1979]. "Pahinui, 'Gabby' Charles Prince, and sons". Hawaiian Music & Musicians (2nd ed.). Honolulu, HI, USA: Mutual Publishing, LLC. ISBN . OCLC 808415079. Archived from the original pass to October 25, 2012.
• Haugen, Keith (2012) [1979].

  "Sons of Hawai'i". Crate Kanahele, George S.; Berger, Trick (eds.). Hawaiian Music & Musicians (2nd ed.). Honolulu, HI, USA: Joint Publishing, LLC. ISBN . OCLC 808415079. Archived from the original on Oct 25, 2012.

References

External links