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Full Biography: George Kahumoku Jr.
There’s a reason he’s been called Hawaii’s Renaissance man: George Kahumoku Jr. is
a multiple Grammy Award & Na Hoku Hanohano Award winning master slack key
guitarist, songwriter, world-traveling performer, high school teacher, artist and sculptor,
story-teller and writer, farmer and entrepreneur.
In February of 2006, George and fellow artists including Ledward Kaapana, Daniel Ho,
Peter deAquino, and Garrett Probst were thrilled to receive the 48th Grammy Award for
Best Hawaiian Album for their compilation recording, Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key
Guitar, Vol. 1: Live in Concert from Maui (DHC80007). But George’s Grammy fame
doesn’t stop there: The sequels to this recording, Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key
Guitar: Live from Maui (DHC80008) which included additional artists (Dennis
Kamakahi, Martin Pahinui, and Richard Ho’opi’i) won the 49th Grammy and then in 2008,
Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar (DHC80052) won the 50th Grammy Award.
All three recordings are compilations from George’s weekly show, the prestigious Slack
Key Show: Masters of Hawaiian Music located at the Napili Kai Beach Resort on
Maui, (www.slackkey.com). George is the musical host and features a different solo
artist each week plus his regulars: nephews Peter deAquino & Garrett Probst AKA Da
Ukulele Boyz, plus young guitarist, Sterling Seaton, and hula dancer, Wainani Kealoha.
Started in 2003, his show is the first long-running concert hall setting for the great slack
key and Hawaiian musicians of today.
George is currently living on Maui with his wife, Nancy, at a beautiful upland farm on the
pristine north side of the West Maui Mountains. He recently retired from 40 years of
teaching at risk kids, art, ceramics, guitar & ukulele at private and public schools over
the years including the historic Lahainaluna High School and directing the inception of
the Institute of Hawaiian Music at UH Maui College.
Farming being in his blood, George now spends quality time maintaining his 3-acre farm
growing fruit and vegetables, dry-land taro (for his famous home-made poi) and tending
his goats, chickens, ducks, and miniature horses. True to his Hawaiian heritage,
wherever he goes George always brings bundles of fresh produce to share with friends
and students.
His newest solo release is Seeds of Aloha, a CD of original and traditional songs
spanning his career and including a 75 minute DVD film documentary of his life. This is
the first film in a series he is co-producing about other artists including:
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Dennis Kamakahi-The Legend of Grey Wolf
Richard Ho’opi’i- The Timeless Voice
Brother Noland- (TBA)
Martin Pahinui- (TBA)
These films are all generously crowd funded by his friends, fans, and followers.
Other new project includes singing and acting at a new event, Na Lio, slated to begin in
2015 on Maui, and performing songs with Tia Carrere in the May 2015 season finale of
Hawaii Five-O.
Every summer in June, George Kahumoku Jr.’s Annual Maui Slack Key Guitar and
Ukulele Workshop takes place featuring George and other stellar musicians and
instructors such as Ledward Kaapana, Jeff Peterson, Herb Ohta Jr, and others. This
workshop is one of the great musical experiences in the Islands today, and the result of
George's belief in sharing, celebrating and perpetuating the unique musical genre of
Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar. (www.kahumoku.com/workshops.htm )
George has also played slack key guitar in several other documentary films about the
music and cultural richness of the Hawaiian Islands, including the soundtrack for the
1993 film ‘Onipa’a (Kalama Productions), which chronicles the Hawaiian sovereignty
movement. Playing several of Lili`uokalani's songs in the film inspired George to release
his first instrumental solo album, E Lili’u (Kealia Farms 1008).
In 1997 and 2001, George released Drenched by Music and Hawaiian Love Songs on
Dancing Cat Records, produced by George Winston, followed by a 2003 release of
George Kahumoku Jr LIVE!! Footprints in the Poi, a collection of the best music and
stories from two years of live performances on the mainland. A renowned story-teller,
George then collaborated with long-time friend, Paul Konwiser, to write an expanded
versions of his hilarious and entertaining on-stage stories into a book: A Hawaiian Life.
George connected with artist/producer Daniel Ho with whom he created six duet
recordings: Hymns of Hawaii, Hymns of Hawaii, Vol. 2, Island Classics, and Classic
Hawaiian Hulas, Vol. 1, 2, & 3. George’s earthy vocals and unique 12-string slack key
sound is embellished by Daniel’s sparkling ukulele. George and Daniel won the Na Hoku
Hanohano Award in 2000 and 2006 respectively for their Hymns of Hawaii and Hymns
of Hawaii, Vol. 2., and then 4 Grammies for the show compilations. Daniel also helped
produce George’s solo recordings: Na ‘Ano ‘Ano: The Seeds (DHC80034) is a
selection of vocal slack-key songs inspired by special people and events in George’s
long musical career. And most recently, Wao Akua – Forest of the Gods (DHC)
features George’s original and traditional instrumental songs and was nominated for a
Grammy Award.