AlohaCalendar
Hawaiian Music Artists
The voices that made Hawaiʻi's sound — foundational legends, slack-key and ʻukulele masters, the classic bands, and today's island-reggae acts. Each page carries a short bio, notable songs, and their upcoming shows across the islands.
Legends & Icons
The foundational voices of Hawaiian music.
Alfred Apaka
Hawaiian baritone and Waikīkī entertainer known as "the Golden Voice of Hawaiʻi."
1938–1960
Dennis Kamakahi
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and prolific composer, three-time Grammy winner and Sons of Hawaii member.
1973–2014
Don Ho
Waikīkī entertainer known for the 1966 hit "Tiny Bubbles" and a decades-long showroom act.
1930–2007 (recording career from 1965)
Eddie Kamae
ʻUkulele virtuoso, founding member of the Sons of Hawaiʻi, and documentary filmmaker.
active 1940s–2010s (1927–2017)
Gabby Pahinui
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and singer, a central figure of the Hawaiian Renaissance.
1946–1980
Genoa Keawe
Hawaiian falsetto vocalist and ʻukulele player known as "Aunty Genoa," associated with the song "ʻAlika."
1918–2008 (recording career from 1946)
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole
Native Hawaiian singer and ʻukulele player known for his "Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" medley.
c. 1976–1997 (with the Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau from the mid-1970s; solo career 1990–1997)
Sonny Chillingworth
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist (1932–1994) known as "The Waimea Cowboy."
1932–1994 (recording from the 1950s)
Slack Key & Songwriters
Masters of kī hōʻalu and the island singer-songwriter tradition.
Cyril Pahinui
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and singer, and a son of Gabby Pahinui.
1968–2018
John Cruz
Hawaiian singer-songwriter known for the local anthem "Island Style."
Recording since 1996; performing since the 1980s
Keola Beamer
Slack-key guitarist and composer of the Beamer ʻohana who wrote "Honolulu City Lights."
Recording since 1972
Ledward Kaʻapana
Hawaiian slack-key guitar and falsetto musician, and a founder of the group Hui ʻOhana.
active since the 1970s
Makana
Hawaiian slack-key guitarist and singer-songwriter known for fusing kī hōʻalu with rock and for musical activism.
active since 1999
ʻUkulele Masters
The players who carried the ʻukulele to the world.
Herb Ohta (Ohta-San)
Honolulu-born ʻukulele player who reached a worldwide audience with 1973's "Song for Anna."
Born 1934; recording since 1964
Jake Shimabukuro
Honolulu-born ʻukulele player known for a viral 2006 rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
active since 1998
Taimane
Honolulu-born ʻukulele performer and composer known for genre-blending instrumental shows.
active since the mid-2000s
Classic Bands & Groups
The groups that shaped modern Hawaiian sound.
The Brothers Cazimero
Hawaiian vocal duo of brothers Robert and Roland Cazimero, known for annual Lei Day concerts.
active 1975–2017 (duo founded 1975; ended with Roland's death in 2017)
Cecilio & Kapono
1970s Honolulu duo of Cecilio Rodriguez and Henry Kapono in contemporary Hawaiian pop.
active from 1973 (peak mid-to-late 1970s); later reunions and intermittent recording through the 1990s
Hapa
Contemporary Hawaiian group founded on Maui in 1983 by Barry Flanagan and Keliʻi Kaneʻāliʻi.
active since 1983 (debut album 1993)
Hui ʻOhana
Hawaiian slack-key and falsetto trio active in the 1970s, tied to the Hawaiian Renaissance.
1972–1978 (reunited briefly in the late 1980s)
Kalapana
1970s Honolulu island-rock band known for "Naturally," "Nightbird," and "The Hurt."
active since the mid-1970s (formed 1973; debut 1975)
Mākaha Sons
Long-running traditional Hawaiian group, formerly the Mākaha Sons of Niʻihau.
active since 1976
Olomana
Hawaiian group co-founded by Jerry Santos, known for "Kuʻu Home o Kahaluʻu."
active since the mid-1970s (debut album 1976)
The Sons of Hawaiʻi
Traditional Hawaiian group founded in 1960 by Eddie Kamae and Gabby Pahinui.
Founded 1960; Eddie Kamae led the group until retiring from performing in 1992
Falsetto & Contemporary Hawaiian
Leo kiʻekiʻe and today's Grammy- and Hōkū-winning voices.
Amy Hānaialiʻi
Maui-born Hawaiian falsetto vocalist; 18 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards and six-time Grammy nominee.
active since 1993
Dennis Pavao
Hawaiian falsetto vocalist (1951–2002) and a founding member of the trio Hui ʻOhana.
1972–2002
Kalani Peʻa
Grammy-winning contemporary Hawaiian singer-songwriter from Hilo.
recording career active since 2016
Keauhou
Traditional Hawaiian trio that swept all nine of its nominated categories at the 2017 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards.
active since 2008
Raiatea Helm
Grammy-nominated Hawaiian falsetto vocalist from Molokaʻi.
active since 2002
Island Reggae & Jawaiian
The Jawaiian and island-reggae acts filling today's stages.
Anuhea
Maui-born singer-songwriter blending island pop, reggae, and R&B.
active since 2009
Common Kings
Island-reggae and rock band of Pacific Islander musicians based in Orange County, California.
active since 2011
Fiji (George Veikoso)
Fijian-born, Hawaiʻi-based singer widely described as a pioneer of island reggae.
c. 1987–2025 (recording since 1994)
The Green
Reggae band formed in 2009 on Oʻahu, associated with Hawaii's island-reggae sound.
active since 2009
Kolohe Kai
Hawaiian island-reggae group led by singer-songwriter Roman De Peralta.
active since 2009
Maoli
Maui-based island-reggae act led by singer-songwriter Glenn Awong.
active since 2007
Rebel SoulJahz
Island-reggae vocal group from Waipahu, Oʻahu, formed in 2006.
active since 2006
Photos: baldeaglebluff (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons user Twobikeminimum (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Naukilo (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Greg Concilla May (CC BY 2.0) · Michael Coghlan (Adelaide, Australia) (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Michael McCauslin (CC BY 2.0) · leesean (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons user Jwilbiz (CC BY-SA 3.0) · MC1 Kelby Sanders, U.S. Navy (public domain) · ThinkTech Hawaii (CC BY 3.0) · Allanbcool (photo), cropped by Saga City (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jester Jay Goldman (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Sue Kastle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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