Ray Kane
Encyclopedia
Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne (ˈkɑːneɪ; October 2, 1925 - February 27, 2008), 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.
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." He was never flashy or fast. In Hawaiian, his sound is described as nahenahe (sweet sounding).
In 1987, Kāne was honored as a "National Living Treasure" by the National Endowment for the Arts with an NEA National Heritage Fellowship.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
's acknowledged masters of the slack-key guitar
Slack-key guitar
Slack-key guitar is a fingerstyle genre of guitar music that originated in Hawaii. Its name refers to its characteristic open tunings: the English term is a translation of the Hawaiian kī hōalu, which means "loosen the [tuning] key"...
. Born in Koloa, Kauaʻi, he grew up in Nanakuli on Oʻahu's Waiʻanae Coast
Wai'anae, Hawai'i
Waianae is a census-designated place in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,506.-Geography:Waianae is located at ....
where his stepfather worked as a fisherman.
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." He was never flashy or fast. In Hawaiian, his sound is described as nahenahe (sweet sounding).
In 1987, Kāne was honored as a "National Living Treasure" by the National Endowment for the Arts with an NEA National Heritage Fellowship.
Discography
- 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)