Gabby Pahinui
Gabby Pahinui, born Charles Kapono Ka-hahawai in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a significant figure in Hawaiian music, particularly known for his mastery of slack-key guitar. Raised in a musical environment, he learned to play instruments by ear and was influenced by traditional Hawaiian music as well as jazz and swing. Throughout his career, Pahinui performed extensively in bars and clubs, working alongside notable musicians like Andy Cummings and Eddie Spencer. He co-founded the influential group Sons of Hawaii in 1960, which played a crucial role in popularizing Hawaiian music and culture during the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s. Despite facing challenges early in his career, including a lack of recognition for his recordings, Pahinui's talent eventually garnered him a dedicated following. His contributions to music continue to resonate, as his works have been rereleased and celebrated posthumously. The Gabby Pahinui Waimanalo Kanikapila Festival honors his legacy by supporting Hawaiian cultural projects, and he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2002, ensuring his impact on future generations of musicians.
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Subject Terms
Gabby Pahinui
Musician
- Born: April 22, 1921
- Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
- Died: October 13, 1980
- Place of death: Waimanalo, Hawaii
An iconic Hawaiian guitarist and singer, Pahinui was best known for his use of the slack-key guitar style, which lent a unique sound to recordings such as “Hi’ilawe.” He played a significant role in the development of Hawaiian music and was a major figure in the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s.
Birth name: Charles Kapono Kahahawai
Area of achievement: Music
Early Life
Charles Philip Pahinui was born Charles Kapono Ka-hahawai in Honolulu, Hawaii. He acquired the last name Pahinui from his adoptive parents, while Gabby became his nickname. As a child, Pahinui learned to play the upright bass and guitar by ear, without any formal musical training. He was drawn to hulaand other traditional Hawaiian music styles as well as jazz and swing. Pahinui began playing the popular slide guitar with local singers and bands while also mastering the open tunings of ki hoalu, or slack-key guitar, and honing his falsetto singing voice.
Life’s Work
Pahinui played popular music in bars and clubs throughout his career, accompanying bands such as Andy Cummings and His Hawaiian Serenaders and the Eddie Spencer Band. To support his wife and ten children, he worked on a road-maintenance crew as well. Despite his frequent live performances, his early recordings featuring slack-key guitar, including the classic “Hi’ilawe” (1946), went largely unnoticed, though Pahinui developed a dedicated following among local musicians.
In 1960, Pahinui cofounded the music group Sons of Hawaii with fellow musicians Eddie Kamae, Joe Marshall, and David Rogers. Pahinui’s fame increased as he played with the Sons of Hawaii, releasing several albums with the group. By the mid-1970s, Pahinui was at the forefront of the Hawaiian cultural movement, or Hawaiian Renaissance, of the period and was recognized for his mastery of the slack-key guitar throughout Hawaii and the mainland United States. He released several solo records and recorded with guitarist Ry Cooder and other mainstream musicians.
Significance
An innovative master of the slack-key guitar, Pahinui continued to inspire later generations of guitarists long after his death in 1980. His recordings have been rereleased multiple times, and he is remembered annually with the Gabby Pahinui Waimanalo Kanikapila Festival, which supports Hawaiian cultural projects. In 2002, he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
Bibliography
Berger, John. “This One’s for Gabby.” Honolulu Star Advertiser. Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6 Aug. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. Explores Pahinui’s enduring legacy in Hawaii and discusses the annual Gabby Pahinui Waimanalo Kanikapila Festival.
Houston, James D. “When Eddie Met Gabby.” Honolulu. Aio, Nov. 2004. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. Discusses Pahinui’s meeting with musician Eddie Kamae in 1959, the development of the Sons of Hawaii, and the beginnings of the Hawaiian traditional music revival.
Lewis, George H. “Storm Blowing from Paradise: Social Protest and Oppositional Ideology in Popular Hawaiian Music.” Popular Music 10.1 (1991): 53–67. Print. Places Pahinui within the context of the much larger cultural and political Hawaiian Renaissance.