Led Kaapana

Led Kaapana is a master of Hawaiian slack key guitar (ki ho'alu) and one of the most influential traditional musicians to emerge from the Big Island, also accomplished on ukulele, steel guitar, autoharp, and bass. Born in Pahala and raised in the isolated village of Kalapana, he learned from his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, and his uncle Fred Punahoa, and performs in both baritone and leo ki'eki'e (falsetto) voices. He came to prominence in the 1970s with the family trio Hui 'Ohana alongside his twin brother Nedward and cousin Dennis Pavao, later fronting the trio Ikona before launching a solo career. A National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, he has earned multiple Grammy nominations and Na Hoku Hanohano Awards and has collaborated with artists ranging from Dolly Parton and Chet Atkins to Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas.