Raymond Kāne
Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu[lower-alpha 1] Kāne[1] (/ˈkɑːneɪ/, Hawaiian: [ˈkaːne]; October 2, 1925 - February 27, 2008),[2] 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.[3]
Raymond Kāne  | |
|---|---|
![]() Kane in 1987  | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne | 
| Born | October 2, 1925 Koloa, Kauaʻi  | 
| Died | February 27, 2008 (aged 82) Honolulu  | 
| Occupation(s) | Musician | 
| Instrument(s) | Slack-key guitar | 
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". 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.[4]
Discography
    
- Slack Key [the "Black and White Album"] (1958)
 - Party Songs, Hawaiian Style, Vol. 2 (1959)
 - Nanakuli's Raymond Kane (1974)
 - Master of the Slack Key Guitar (1988)
 - Punahele (1994)
 - Hawaiʻi Aloha (1996)
 - Waʻahila (1998)
 - Hawaiian Sunset Music, Vol. 1 (1998)
 - Cherish the Mele of our Elders (with Elodia Kāne) (1998)
 - Maikaʻi No Blues (1999)
 - Tribute to Lena Machado (with Elodia Kāne) (1999)
 - Holoholo Slack Key (2000)
 - He Leo ʻOhana (with Elodia Kāne) (2000)
 
Notes
    
- 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
    
- Raymond Kane (1925-2008) on YouTube
 - Fox, Margalit (March 5, 2008). "Ray Kane, Master of Slack-Key Guitar, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
 - "Raymond Kane: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist/Singer". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
 - "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.
 
External links
    
- Raymond Kane at AllMusic
 - Raymond Kāne discography at Discogs
 - Raymond Kane biography at Dancing Cats Records
 - Instructional video featuring Raymond Kane at The Guitar Workshop
 - Review of "That's Slack Key Guitar" film featuring Raymond Kane at the Taropatch.net online community
 - Slack-key guitar legend Raymond Kane dies
 
