Israel "Iz" Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole (pronounced [ka-maka-vivo'-ole]) was an Hawaiian musician. He became famous outside Hawai'i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993 with his medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", which was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials. Kamakawiwo'ole was nicknamed "The Gentle Giant" by his admirers. Through his consummate ukulele playing and incorporation of other idioms (such as jazz and reggae), Iz remains one of the major influences in Hawai'ian music over the last 15 years.

Throughout the later part of his life, Iz suffered from severe obesity and at one point carried 758 pounds (344 kg) on his 6 feet 2 inches (1.9 m) frame. He endured several hospitalizations and died of weight-related respiratory illness on June 26, 1997 at 12:18 am at the age of 38. The Hawai'i State Flag flew at half-staff on July 10, 1997, the day of Iz's funeral. His koa wood coffin lay in state at the Capitol building in Honolulu. He was the third person in Hawaiian history to be accorded this honor (the other two were Governor John A. Burns and United States Senator Spark Matsunaga) and the only non-politician. Over 10,000 people attended his funeral. Thousands of fans gathered and cheered as his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at Makua Beach on July 12, 1997.

Death did not silence his music. Instead, its popularity grew, no doubt embellished by the emotion that comes from a life cut short. Israel (known as "Iz" to his millions of fans) Kamakawiwo'ole's music was everywhere, and all of a sudden, the world was talking about Hawaiian songs. "The awareness of Hawaiian music outside the state you can attribute a lot to him and his popularity and people talking about him," says Alan Yamamoto, a board member of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Recording Academy, which handles the Grammys. Through Kamakawiwo'ole's music, you can experience the world as he saw it — a place with no racial barriers, a place where music is not defined as Hawaiian or haole, just music.

"Even if they can't pronounce his name, they know they're hearing the voice of Hawai'i," says Hollywood movie producer Chris Lee who returned to his Hawai'i home to chair the Academy of Creative Media at the University of Hawai'i. He keeps Kamakawiwo'ole's music in his iPod library for consideration in upcoming projects. "They know the sound and the emotion, and if that's something that helps them explore current and living artists, fantastic," Lee says. The singer is easily one of the 25 most influential people in Hawaiian history, he says. "He gave voice to the Hawaiian people," Lee says.

Indeed, Kamakawiwo'ole has been influential on broadening the radar of Hawaiian music beyond the reef. "His rendition of the classic ‘Wizard of Oz' song has helped local musicians who travel constantly to the Mainland and abroad, by bringing attention to the talent in Hawai'i," says Dennis Kamakahi, a veteran singer-composer long allied with Eddie Kamae's Sons of Hawai'i group. "I think his voice is definitely a factor, and so is his delivery," Kamakahi says. "I think what attracts people to his rendition is the simplicity of his arrangement. No embellishments; just his voice and 'ukulele. It's truly haunting; simplicity is what makes a song legendary — that's something I learned from studying classical musical composition in my younger days."

Hawaiian entertainers on the road now find themselves with requests for Kamakawiwo'ole's signature medley. It can be an uncomfortable situation. "When I travel, the people always request Iz," says musician Ledward Ka'apana. "I tell them, I cannot do it. I stay away from it. I know the song, but I just don't do it. I don't want to touch it. Iz had his own style playing uke. Soon as you hear him, you can identify the style. Good strumming." But the medley has helped other musicians like himself, Ka'apana says. "Hawaiian music is getting out there," he says. "Haoles love our music. Many want to learn the music. It's great for our culture — reminiscent of the old days, when we did the songs from within, coming from the heart."

Because everything about him was rooted in Hawai'i, the 'ukulele was the perfect instrument for Kamakawiwo'ole. Simple yet playful, few instruments say Hawai'i as well as the 'ukulele. But to the world outside the Islands, it had long been a stage prop. Think Tiny Tim tripping through the tulips. In Kamakawiwo'ole's hands, the 'ukulele achieved a heroic status that continues to grow. He reminded the world of its simple charm. "I have traveled fairly far and wide with the 'ukulele, and there is nowhere that hasn't been touched by his music and his voice," says Canadian musician James Hill, regarded as one of the best 'ukulele players alive. "He brought a lot of attention to the 'ukulele, but he had a way of transcending the instrument itself. He did that in a way that very few people are able to do. He didn't transcend it in the sense of playing virtuosity or with tricks or musical backflips but with the utmost simplicity and elegance."

Kamakawiwo'ole's mastery of the 'ukulele helped inspire the next generation of Hawai'i musicians. Among them is 'ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, himself an international ambassador for the instrument who rocketed to global fame with a more fanciful strumming style and a repertoire that is equally accepted in Hawai'i, Japan and large chunks of the Mainland. "He has amazing feel when he plays," says Shimabukuro. "I remember when I was in school, intermediate and high, I had the first Makaha Sons 'Live at the Waikiki Shell' album, and I fell in love with every song. I loved 'Wasted on the Way' (the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic), which I used to rewind (on cassette tape) so I could go back to his 'ukulele solo. It was just the honesty he portrayed, the spirit captured on the recording — just magical."

It was more than entertainment, though, for those who sought to follow in his footsteps. It was validation. On beaches and in schoolyards, in parks and backyards, young hands sought out the 'ukulele. They had listened to the strum of Kamakawiwo'ole's fingers on the instrument and discovered a musical homing beacon. He gave them humble solidarity. He gave them strength. By doing what he did, Kamakawiwo'ole underscored the importance of taking a chance, says Roland Cazimero, who briefly performed with the singer and is half of the Brothers Cazimero duo. "Here is this guy from the country," he says. "Just a local, local boy who is playing something people enjoy. He had crossed over. And that bridge is open to anybody, whether you have talent or not, to go over and then extend from there to where you want to go. A lot of the kids that are playing now are basically 'ukulele players, just like Iz."

Such are the roots of inspiration. It could end there and that would be legacy enough for any generation. It doesn't though. In Kamakawiwo'ole, the Hawaiians he touched saw more than success, more than fame. They saw respect. They saw the world applauding a simple man from a simple place. "He's the biggest, proudest Hawaiian there was," Davis says. "He made it cool to be Hawaiian".

By Mike Gordon, Beverly Creamer and Wayne Harada
Excerpted from Honolulu Advertiser

YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY WILL THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH THEM ...

RETURN TO TOP OF THIS PAGE