George Kahumoku, Jr. is an interesting fellow. He's about as Hawaiian as you can get, which is a nice thing to say about someone. Much of his life is dedicated to helping others. He is a teacher at Lahainaluna High School in Maui. Not many teachers would volunteer for the classes George teaches. His students are in the Special Motivation Program. To get into George's class, you must have some exceptional qualifications. You have to have flunked five out of your six classes; AND you have to have missed 23 or more days out of 44 in the school term. These are the kids George teaches. They are actually a wonderful and bright group of young people, who just need a little help in making it through school. Fortunately, George is there for them.

George is also a farmer. He has won the Hawaii State All-Pork Award, and is a frequent speaker at Hawaiian agriculture conferences. And George is an artist and sculptor. You can see an example of his work, "Puhi the Eel", hanging in the Office of the Governor of Hawaii, in Honolulu.

But mostly, we know George for his wonderful music. He has played the world over, for all kinds of audiences.  "When I'm playing a solo instrumental piece," George says, "especially on the 12-string guitar, or when I'm playing together with other players, I often imagine in my musical mind's eye all of the people in my family, grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who have had a great influence on my music -- that they're all playing or singing along with me.  I hope that my grandson Aaron will one day come to understand and play this music."

A seasoned trouper, George has performed for audiences all over the world, including such dignitaries at the Queen of England and the Premier of China.  He says that while walking out on the stage he knows he doesn't get to be with those people out there for very long, so he relaxes, has a great time, and gives them everything he can.  At a concert or a gig, or when playing a CD, listeners are often unexpectedly moved by the unpretentious manner, deep musicality, and rich mixture of life experiences of George Kahumoku Jr.  An enthusiastic cook, Hawai'i's Renaissance Man is happiest when sharing music and food with a group of family and friends, down on the beach or out in back on the porch.

George's Background

George's family is from south Kona on the big island. They spent considerable time on Oahu, where George's dad was able to find work and where George and his brother could attend Kamehameha school. George showed an early interest in drawing, and at a young age he won several competitions awarding him scholarships to the Honolulu Academy of the Arts. George's father, grandfather and many other relatives and friends played musical instruments, including guitar, ukulele and mandolin. George got his first guitar when he was 10 years old and he played it until his fingers hurt. At age 12, he was working in Waikiki washing cars all evening for ten cents a car. One night he wandered into the bar next door to the car lot and played a couple of songs. Made twenty-seven dollars and twelve cents in 10 minutes. It was the end of a promising career in automobile care.

Above: George and his son Keoki

George's son Keoki, is a slack key musician in his own right, and is also well known for his prowess on the ukulele. George and Keoki often perform together. George's brother Moses is another noted slack key guitarist. His recordings are included in this web site.
 

Hawaii's Renaissance Man

"Stevie Guitar" Sparks wrote a nice piece about George for Maui Time magazine entitled "Hawaii's Renaissance Man".  We liked it so much, we have included it below.  Steve Sparks can be reached at www.leisurescience.com.  Thanks Steve!

As music becomes more synthesized, reggae-fied, Rap-ified and homogenized, with more and more mainland pop and country cover tunes being worked over by local bands and singers (sometimes not for the better), there fortunately are those native artists who provide relief from this progression, by digging deeper and deeper into their roots, to bring us the fruits of composition, and styles which we would otherwise never be fortunate enough to savor. 

George Kahumoku, Jr. was raised in the old ways, with a large family. He worked the land and the sea and grew up with the music of his people.  By the time he was 12 yrs of age, he was playing professionally with the legendary and influential Kui Lee ("I’ll Remember You", "Lahainaluna", etc.). After graduating from the Kamehameha Schools in 1969, he went on to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Oakland's California College of Arts and Crafts. Not only has he achieved recognition and accolades for his music (Hoku award in 1979), and his art (sculpture, etc.), but also for his skills and experience with the land, with several state-wide and national awards for farming. In 1993 he graduated from the Hawai'i State Agricultural Leadership Program. George is a community leader as well, working with children in native language studies, farming, and other programs, and teaches the Special Motivation Program at Lahainaluna School.

He has had the honor of entertaining such dignitaries as Queen Elizabeth, The Premier of China and the Prince of Thailand.  When others around him fell victim to addictions and other personal troubles, George held the line and went to work supporting causes that would help people in need, such as Aloha House here in Maui.  When faced with his own mortality, after being told by doctors that he had six months to live (over 10 years ago), the spiritual strength he garnered through his family ("kukulu kumuhana") overcame the odds, making him stronger and more focused than before.

As George says: "Music comes from the land . the leaves, the trees, the rivers, the rocks... and the spirit of our Kupuna (elders). Land ownership is a western concept... it is not the Hawai'ian way.  We are stewards - we share the land for everyone's benefit.” To this end he has been working with local students at a location in Kahakuloa, where they are farming taro, as well as other foods, medicinal herbs and plants. The man who has been voted "Farmer of The Year" in Hawai’i is passing his knowledge on to others.

Auntie Nona Beamer has dubbed George "Hawai'i's Renaissance Man", because he is one of the few who still knows the old ways-farming, fishing and herbs-and can survive on the land, and yet gets up every morning and works the internet, fielding international requests for his CDs and performances. George has run his own career, often ,subsidizing his farming with revenues from his music. Bur the land he worked and inherited from big family {once over 6,000 acres) was lost to taxation, bankers and lawsuits.  It's sad when a man with .. his integrity loses ancient family land.

Barry Flannagan, of Hapa, told me that when he heard a particular recording of George's he didn't think he could ever play Slack-Key guitar again -he was so stunned by the power, depth and passion of George’s playing.

George is one of a handful of artists who - records for the Slack-Key Master series on George Winston's Dancing Cat label, which distributes his music in 55 countries. In his struggle to save land; he moved to Maui from the Big Island, and still works the resorts here, between touring gigs. He has  played nearly all over the world, and is gaining a wider audience in the U.S.

George's recordings are inspired works from soulful hands that transcend time and style. His voice also comes from a deep place, sometimes sounding like Gabby Pahinui’s but taking on a unique tone, as he comes into his own as an  elder in his craft. Most of his work is mellow and "old-world" in texture - soothing for the soul, and virtually "anti-pop" in context. He has recorded works by Queen Lili'uokalani, made an album with his son Keoki (also very talented and accomplished), and recorded with a host of other Island legends, including Edith Kanaka'ole, his brother Moses (20 albums), Diana Aki, and Kekuhi Kanahele. His most recent release, with master musician and producer Daniel Ho (Hiroshima), is a collection of spiritual melodies ("Hymns of Hawai'i") that George learned growing up with his ‘Ohana (family).  These songs are presented reverently, with contemporary touches, and provide refuge for the soul in a fast-paced, changing world.

It's been said that, "If we don't know where we came from, we can’t know where we are going".  Thanks to artists like George Kahumoku, Jr., we  have these touchstones linking us with the spirit of  the past, and its' simple truths. He was once told that we can always make more money, but the one thing we can never recover is time.

Wallace Baine wrote an entertaining piece for the July 18, 2002 edition of the Style Magazine of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Here's the online archive of the article: "George Kahumoku: A Hawaiian in Full".