Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu[a] Kāne[1] (/ˈkɑːneɪ/, Hawaiian: [ˈkaːne]; October 2, 1925 - February 27, 2008),[2] was one of Hawaii's acknowledged masters of the slack-key guitar. Born in Koloa, Kauaʻi, he grew up in Nanakuli on Oʻahu's Waiʻanae Coast where his stepfather worked as a fisherman.[3]
Raymond Kāne | |
|---|---|
 Kane in 1987 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne |
| Born | October 2, 1925 Koloa, Kauaʻi |
| Died | February 27, 2008 (aged 82) Honolulu |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Slack-key guitar |
Kāne's style was distinctive and deceptively simple. He played in a number of ki ho'alu tunings always plucking or brushing the strings with only the thumb and index finger of his right hand. He also played hammer-ons and pull-offs in a unique way; his finger moving up and out, instead of down and in, after striking a string. He emphasized that one must play and sing "from the heart".[citation needed] He was never flashy or fast. In Hawaiian, his sound is described as nahenahe (sweet sounding).
He was a recipient of a 1987 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[4]
Discography
edit- Slack Key [the "Black and White Album"] (1958)
- Party Songs, Hawaiian Style, Vol. 2 (1959)
- Nanakuli's Raymond Kane (1974)
- Master of the Slack Key Guitar (1988)
- Punahele (1994)
- Hawaiʻi Aloha (1996)
- Waʻahila (1998)
- Hawaiian Sunset Music, Vol. 1 (1998)
- Cherish the Mele of our Elders (with Elodia Kāne) (1998)
- Maikaʻi No Blues (1999)
- Tribute to Lena Machado (with Elodia Kāne) (1999)
- Holoholo Slack Key (2000)
- He Leo ʻOhana (with Elodia Kāne) (2000)
Notes
edit- ^ His middle name is pronounced [kəˈlɛjowəˈlohəpoˈwinəˈʔolejoˈhɛlɛˈmɐnu] in Hawaiian, and means "the voice of love that comes and goes like a bird and will never be forgotten".
References
edit- ^ Raymond Kane (1925-2008) on YouTube
- ^ Fox, Margalit (March 5, 2008). "Ray Kane, Master of Slack-Key Guitar, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "Raymond Kane: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist/Singer". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1987". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
External links
edit- Raymond Kane at AllMusic
- Raymond Kāne discography at Discogs
- Raymond Kane biography at Dancing Cats Records
- Instructional video featuring Raymond Kane at The Guitar Workshop
- Review of "That's Slack Key Guitar" film featuring Raymond Kane at the Taropatch.net online community
- Slack-key guitar legend Raymond Kane dies