 JOHN
KEAWE is a songwriter and slack-key guitarist who was born on the
Big Island of Hawaii, in the little town of Hawi in North Kohala. John
grew up with rock and roll music and enjoyed listening to
singer/songwriters.
After a four year tour in the Navy, John returned to his home and was
drawn to the sound of Hawaiian slack-key. He listened and watched and
taught himself to play this style of music. Through the years, he has
developed his own distinct style.
About the same time, John began to perform publicly and also composing
his own songs. Two of his early compositions “Ka`auhuhu Homestead”
and “Big Island Magic” were chosen for album cuts on projects
that involved various artists. Through the years, John has released
seven recordings under the label of Homestead Productions:
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1993
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Ho`onanea
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Instrumental
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1994
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Auhele
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Instrumental
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1996
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Mana`olana
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Instrumental
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1996
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Christmas Is
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Vocal & Instrumental
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1999
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Heartfelt
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Vocal (Original Songs)
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2002
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Aloha Kaikua`ana
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Instrumental + 2 vocals
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2003
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Keaweualani
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Vocal & Instrumental
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Of all his recordings, six were nominated for
Hoku awards. The CD “Ho`onanea” won that award in 1994
for best instrumental performance. At the 1998 Hawaii Music awards,
John won best slack-key artist for his ”Mana`olana” CD.
In 2003, John received a Hawaii Music Award for “Aloha
Kaikua`ana”. He also won a Hoku Award for Ki-ho`alu which is a
special award given to an artist for perpetuating the art of slack
-key guitar.
And the Grammy
goes to… ki ho’alu! This year, John is one of ten artists that make up
SLACK KEY GUITAR VOLUME 2 which took the first-ever
Hawaiian Album Grammy in a stunning musical milestone. Hawaii Governor
Linda Lingle praised these winning artists, commenting that the award
brings “long-overdue worldwide recognition to our islands’ unique
musical stylings.” Furthermore, John is also one of the artists
of the 2005 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Compilation album of
the year: Various Artists — "Hula! Big Island Style"(Palm),
Charles Michael Brotman, producer.
John performs Hawaiian music at its modern finest, taking the best
of an established tradition and embellishing it with a personal touch.
John's music is infused with the spirit of Aloha and is reflective of
many elements personal to him.
For more information on John, visit his website:
www.johnkeawe.com
John last performed in The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key
Guitar Concert Series at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui on
February 7, 2007. Before that, John had performed in this series on
January 11, 2006 and August 2, 2005.
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