John Cruz

John Cruz is a Hawaiian singer-songwriter who grew up in Palolo Valley on Oʻahu, the son of country and Hawaiian musician Ernie Cruz Sr. He performed from a young age in his family's musical household and moved to the East Coast in 1983, developing his own style over about a decade performing in New York coffeehouses, bars, and clubs and in venues from Martha's Vineyard to the Boston area. His music blends Hawaiian, slack-key guitar, folk, blues, and R&B, built around storytelling and acoustic guitar work.

His debut album, Acoustic Soul (1996), is one of the best-selling albums in modern Hawaiian music and spawned the radio hits 'Shine On,' 'Sitting in Limbo,' and 'Island Style,' the last of which became a widely known local anthem. The album won two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 1997, for Contemporary Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist. His second album, One of These Days (2007), earned the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Contemporary Album of the Year in 2008.

Cruz contributed his original track 'Jo Bo's Night' to the compilation Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2 (Palm Records), which won the first Grammy Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album at the 47th Grammy Awards in 2005; that award was a producer's award to Charles Michael Brotman. His 2022 music video 'It's Time To Build A Bridge' won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Music Video of the Year. He continues to tour, and has performed with artists including Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and David Crosby.