 This week on Pakele Live! with Tony Solis we are proud to host Grammy®, Nā Hōkū Hanohano and Hawai’i Music Award winner John Keawe, and his beautiful wife, Hope!
John is a songwriter and slack-key guitarist who was born on the Big Island of Hawai’i, in the little town of Hawi in North Kohala. Like many musicians of his era, he grew up with rock and roll music and enjoyed listening to singer/songwriters, but after a four-year stint in the Navy, John returned home and was drawn to the sound of kī hō’alu - Hawaiian slack key guitar. He listened and watched, and taught himself to play this style of music. Through the years, he has developed his own distinct style.
About the same time as his interest in kī hō’alu was blooming, John began to compose his own songs and perform publicly. Two of his early compositions, “Ka`auhuhu Homestead” and “Big Island Magic,” were chosen for album cuts on projects that involved various artists. He subsequently released three instructional DVDs and ten albums under his Homestead Productions label, six of which were nominated for Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. He also won two Hawai’i Music Awards, a special Nā Hōkū Award for kī hō’alu (which is given to an artist for perpetuating the art of slack-key guitar), and in 2005, John was honored as a contributing artist on Hawai’i's first Grammy® Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album, entitled "Slack Key Guitar Vol. 2" by Palm Records.
2009 was a monumental year in John's career as well. He was the recipient of the first-ever Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Slack-Key Album of the Year for his CD "Hawai`i Island...Is My Home."
In late 2010, John released yet another album, “Play With Me Papa,” which he dedicated to his late father, Clarence Keawe. The albums consists of both new compositions and some that go back 30 years, and features guest appearances by such well-known artists as Barry Flanagan, Sonny Lim, Herb Ohta, Jr. and more.
Join host Tony Solis as we welcome John and Hope to their first-ever Pakele Live! appearance on Thursday, February 24 from 6-8p.m. HST at our new home at the Willows (901 Hausten St., Honolulu). There is no cover charge or minimum, no reservations are required and all ages are welcome. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Doors open at 5:30.) Guests may choose from the full nightly buffet ($34.95) or a new a la carte menu created especially for Pakele Live! (and available only during the show), with prices ranging from $5 to $16. Drink specials will also be available. Validated valet parking is available for only $3.
You may also watch the show live online at: http://www.pakelelive.com/
(If you watch online, please email the show at pakele @ lava.net and let us know you’re watching! Mention your name and where you’re located - city, state – or country, if outside the U.S.!)
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John Keawe, Pakele Live 2/24
Posted - 02/23/2011 : 3:13:38 PM
