Raymond Kāne

Raymond Kāne
Kane in 1987
Kane in 1987
Background information
Born
Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne

(1925-10-02)October 2, 1925
Koloa, Kauaʻi
DiedFebruary 27, 2008(2008-02-27) (aged 82)
Honolulu
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSlack-key guitar

Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne (/ˈkɑːneɪ/, Hawaiian: [ˈkaːne]; 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".[citation needed] He was never flashy or fast. In Hawaiian, his sound is described as nahenahe (sweet sounding).

He was a recipient of a 1987 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Discography

Notes

  1. ↑ His middle name is pronounced [kəˈlɛjowəˈlohəpoˈwinəˈʔolejoˈhɛlɛˈmɐnu] in Hawaiian, and means "the voice of love that comes and goes like a bird and will never be forgotten".

References

  1. ↑ Raymond Kane (1925-2008) on YouTube
  2. ↑ Fox, Margalit (March 5, 2008). "Ray Kane, Master of Slack-Key Guitar, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Raymond Kane: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist/Singer". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1987". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.