KEVIN BROWN was born on November 17, 1955, but his beautiful slack key guitar style dates back a generation or two earlier. Like most other slack key masters, Kevin learned to play from previous generations.

Kevin tells the story, "One day I cut my high school math class and that is when my life in the music world started. While sitting under a tree, not far from me was another class and the teacher's guitar playing captured my ear with a sound I never heard before. I asked him what kind of music he was playing? He said it's an old style of Hawaiian music called slack key. He said he would teach me if I gave up all my recess. We'll for 4 years I gave up recess and he taught me everything he knew from songs, to tuning's. His name is Henry Meyer."

Kevin's father Harry is a well-known Hawaiian musician, and it was natural for Kevin and his brother Sheldon to learn to play ukulele, steel guitar and slack key guitar. The two brothers, who grew up on Maui, trained as paramedics and worked a 48-hour -on/48-hour-off shift at a facility on Front Street in Lahaina. This schedule gave them free time to practice and play music together. Encouraged by the many police and fire department personnel who heard them, they became professional musicians, forming the Waiehu Sons in 1970. They played music for 17 years at the Stouffer's Resort in Wailea (now the Marriott Renaissance). Their fame spread to other islands, and for a number of years they played music in Honolulu for the opening session of the Hawaii State Legislature along with such famous groups as Hui Ohana.

Later, Kevin also became a teacher of slack key music at Baldwin High School, a position he held for 14 years. A warm and caring teacher, Kevin leads a long-running weekly kani kapila (jam session) on Maui. He delights in teaching and mentoring slack key guitar students.

The Brown Family has been helping to perpetuate the 160 year old art form of ki ho'alu for three generations. Ikaika, who learned slack key from his dad, Kevin, has been performing since he was ten years old. Ikaika has recorded three CD's, including the cherished "Generations," which features both his father and grandfather.

See and hear Kevin perform in The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series at The Napili Kai Beach Resort, Maui as our guest host, the evening of September 1, 2010.

Previously, Kevin performed in this series June 23, 2010 and as guest host on March 24, 2010, and June 24, 2009 and December 23, 2008, and before that at our special 5th Anniversary celebration on October 22, 2008 and prior to that, hosted the show on July 2 and May 21, 2008 and July 18, 2007 and previously appeared on March 21, 2007 and as guest host on March 29, 2006 , February 8, 2006  and August 10, 2004 and as Master Artist on November 8, 2006 and April 12, 2005 and May 11, 2004. His son Ikaika Brown sometimes performs with him.