Hawaii music great Eddie Kamae dies | News, Sports, Jobs

Hawaiian musician and film director Eddie Kamae is shown with his producer wife, Myrna. HawaiianLegacyFoundation.org photo

Musician Eddie Kamae, credited as a pioneer of the resurgence of Hawaiian music, died Saturday on Oahu at age 89.

A singer, arranger, composer and film producer, Kamae rose to prominence in 1948 as a ukulele virtuoso, according to a news release from Kamae’s Hawaiian Legacy Foundation. He was interested in Hawaiian music and, by 1960, had co-founded the musical group the Sons of Hawai’i, which included Gabby Pahinui, Joe Marshall and David “Feets” Rogers.

The Sons of Hawai’i brought new life to authentic Hawaiian music, including songs written by Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893, according to the foundation.

Kamae’s style of playing rhythm and melody at the same time helped move the ukulele from a minor background sound to a lead instrument of a new Hawaiian musical sound, according to the foundation.

Kamae composed some well-known songs in Hawaii, including “Morning Dew,” “Kela Mea Whiffa” and “Ke Ala A Ka Jeep,” according to his foundation. And, with the Sons of Hawai’i, recorded 14 albums.

At age 59, Kamae began a career as a documentary film director, recording “the words and wisdom of Hawaiian elders before they  . . . were lost,” according to his foundation. The 10 films have been shown at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at film festivals and were distributed to schools throughout Hawaii.

Inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2007, Kamae also received many awards, honors and tribute for his work in “preserving Hawaiian language and culture,” according to his foundation. Among his recognitions are the Master of Traditional Arts award from the National Endowment for the Arts and a lifetime achievement award from the Hawaiian Academy of Recording Arts.

Born Aug. 4, 1927, in Honolulu, Kamae is survived by his wife of 50 years, Myrna; hanai daughters Jo Kamae Byrne and Kathy Mederios; and his brother, Alfred Kamae. A private memorial service is planned.

For more information, see www.hawaiianlegacyfoundation.org.

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