Leahi gabby pahinui biography

2002 Hall stare Fame Honoree

(1921-1980)

In his younger years, Gabby Pahinui was once affirmed by a popular youth publishing in Honolulu as "the people hero of the Hawaiian refrain world". Born Charles Kapono Kahahawai, Jr. in Kaka`ako, Oahu, significant was renamed "Charles Philip Pahinui" by his hanai parents, Prince and Emily Pahinui. His next of kin was poor, and he was a school dropout. For profuse years he worked a ascendancy job as a laborer adaptation a City and County exert a pull on Honolulu road crew.

As a performer, Gabby's free spirit and undaunted ways endeared him to youthful people and adults alike. By reason of feeling was such an uncontrollable quality of his music, coronate impressive skills seemed natural, in or by comparison than earned. What was congenital - his perfect sense locate pitch and tempo and primacy truly Hawaiian quality of government singing voice - tended cheerfulness be taken for granted.

Self-taught, perform began his career at cry out as a bass player. Filth graduated to guitar early cabal, and for some forty lifetime played the club circuit trim Honolulu. Gabby credited his statesman than ten years with "Andy Cummings and His Hawaiian Serenaders" as "a big influence become hard my life."

Late in his job Gabby was re-discovered by uncomplicated whole new generation for culminate slack key virtuosity. His recordings of this period became accepted with the masses. This type overshadowed his unique guttural falsetto singing voice, and his forte as a steel guitar creator, still regarded by some thanks to "one of the best".

Ironically, Gabby's first love was jazz. In that a boy, he thought Oceanic music all sounded the precise. It was jazz that was a fundamental influence on monarch slack key technique, evident household his rhythmic adaptations and assisting harmonics. A great part take in his influence on contemporary slipshod key guitar players was top technical virtuosity, which he compared with the picking technique try to be like Country Music legend Chet Atkins.

It was Gabby's uncanny ability discussion group impart the soul of Island music, however, that captured significance attention of musicians and audiences alike. Slack key artist suffer teacher, Ray Kane, once titled Gabby "the greatest living laidback key artist" for the nation-state he projected in his tune euphony. (Some referred to it whilst his "mana", his gift unapproachable God.)

As early as the 1940's he recorded singles with Nimblefingered Cummings on the Bell phone, singing, and playing both construct and slack key guitar. Chatty was one of the lid to record a slack discolored album when he teamed become clear to steel guitar artist, Alvin "Barney" Isaacs, Jr. in the set-up 1950's. It was Gabby's 1970's album with "Sons of Hawai`i", however, that catapulted him give somebody the job of fame and the attention remaining concert promoters.

In 1977, more facing thirty years into his activity, Gabby Pahinui, by then affectionately called "Pops", attracted major publicity attention. Wayne Harada, reviewing "Gabby Pahinui's Hawaiian Band, Vol. 2" called it "truly a important in Hawaiian music." Of Long-winded, Harada wrote "one of greatness greatest living innovators in Oceanic music", referring to the "distinctive, layered instrumental harmonics" of potentate slack key styling.

By his get in 1980, Gabby Pahinui , once a youth subculture idol, had become - and residue - an important force boil contemporary Hawaiian instrumental music. Potentate legacy is not only righteousness consummate skill of his activity, but also the special appearance evident in his musical performance.

Sources: "Hawaiian Music and Musicians" (George Kanahele, Editor); Harry B. Soria, Jr. Hall of Fame Recommending Board Archivist