The Lovely Hat Creek Hula Hands

Listening to Hawaiian Music on the Radio

Lovely Hula Hands

Lovely hula hands
Graceful as the birds in motion
Gliding like the gulls over the ocean
Lovely hula hands, kou lima nani e.

Lovely hula hands
Telling of the rains in the valley
And the swirling winds over the pali
Lovely hula hands, kou lima nani e.

Hui:
I can feel your soft caresses of your hula hand
Your lovely hula hands
Every little move expresses so I’ll understand
All the tender meaning.

Of your hula hands
Fingertips that say aloha
Say to me again I love you
Lovely hula hands, kou lima nani e…

Coconut Willie & the Lovely Hula Hands

Coconut Willie lives in a tree
He’s plenty pupule it’s easy to see
Tourists in Hawaii think he’s a king
They come to Waikiki to see his opu swing

Now Willie learned to hula at three
‘Neath the coco palms at Waikiki
Now when ukuleles play
The palm trees sway
And Willie tells the story of Hawaii nei

When malihinis come to town
Willie greets them with a smile not a frown
He rubs them with oil
So they won’t broil
He never lets a single piece of shark bait spoil.

1940 Lovely Hula Hands

Slack Key Guitarist Ray Kane

Slack key guitarist Raymond Kane died February 27. Kane, who was 82, had been hospitalized for three months with respiratory difficulties. Raymond Kaleoalohapoina’oleohelemanu Kane was born in 1925 in Koloa on the island of Kaua’i. His middle name can be translated into English as “the voice of love that comes and goes like a bird and will never be forgotten.” It describes his outgoing personality, which has earned him status as one of slack key’s most beloved and colorful characters. Ray grew up in Nanakuli on O’ahu’s rugged Wai’anae coast where his stepfather worked as a fisherman. On his mother’s side, Ray was related to many famous Hawaiian musicians, including Andy Cummings, Genoa Keawe and others.From an early age Ray Kane immersed himself in the traditions of Hawaiian culture. His natural father, Herman “Manu” Kane, was by all reports an extraordinary slack key player, but left home when Ray was only two. At age nine, when Ray felt a call to play slack key, he had to turn outside of his family for lessons. This was very difficult at the time. “Back then people wouldn’t teach you unless you were family,” Ray said. “But I was a good diver, so I made a deal with Albert Kawelo. I gave him fish and he gave me lessons.” Ray also credited Henry Kapuana and the radio with teaching him songs in the early days. “Back then I used to take my guitar everywhere,” Raid said. “My favorite spot was Zablan’s beach. It was so quiet at night. There was nobody around. I’d sit and play and watch the moon shine down on the waves.”

Ray began recording for Dancing Cat Productions, a label specialized in Hawaiian guitar music. “Meeting the folks at Dancing Cat was a dream come true,” Ray said. “They’ve helped me, my family and all the slack key guitarists in so many ways. They really love the music and it shows. They’re taking real good care recording us and taking our music all over the world.” Punahele, Ray’s first album for Dancing Cat, came out in 1994. Mixing familiar standards with songs Ray had never previously recorded, it quickly became a local favorite. His second release on Dancing Cat was titled Wa’ahila (1998). The album featured Ray’s wife, Elodia Kane.

Genoa Keawe & the Pineapple Princess

Genoa Keawe, a major figure in the history of modern Hawaiian music and an inspiration for several generations of Hawaiian entertainers, died on February 25 at her family home in Papakolea. She was 89. Auntie Genoa had kept the tradition of female Hawaiian falsetto singing alive through the final decades of the 20th century more than any other singers in Hawaii. She was haled for her deep commitment to mentoring Hawaiian musicians and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture. Auntie Genoa was a tireless performer and dedicated teacher and mentor of so many young Hawaiian musicians. Her signature falsetto voice had a way of captivating her audiences everywhere she played. Her career as a professional entertainer spanned more than 60 years. Auntie Genoa Keawe began her professional career in 1939 and ended less than a month ago when she performed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott on Jan. 31. The Pineapple Princess met Auntie Genoa in March 2007.

Lovely Hula Hands

Hat Creek Hula Hands

Listening to Hawaiian Music on the Radio