Aloha, Ray Kane

Wow, the legendary Hawaiian musicians are dropping like flies. I recently noted the passing of Aunty Genoa Keawe, and just found out that her first cousin, legendary slack-key man Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaoleohelemanu Kāne, has also left the building. Ray was born on the Garden Isle of Kaua'i, in Old Koloa Town, in fact (where some friends and I spent a blissful week in May 2003). He grew up and spent most of his life, however, in Nanakuli, on Oahu's west coast.

Ray did some electric guitar slack-key recordings in the 1960s and 1970s that were years ahead of their time (but widely ignored), but my favorite tune of his was " 'Ulupalakua", which was a tribute to the region of the same name on the island of Maui, but also happened to be the name of the street we lived on in Kailua on Oahu in the 1960s.

Here's the NY Times Kane obit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/music/05kane.html?ref=arts

As the obit notes...

"(His middle name, quite prophetically, means “the voice of love that comes and goes like a bird and will never be forgotten.”)"

Mahalo for the great music, Ray!