Willie K
Wailuku, Hawaii, United States | SELF
Music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
Willie Wonderland, 2010
Willies second release of Christmas and holiday songs, Hawaiian-style and Willie-style, ranging from funny and warm to inspiring and beautiful. A CD highlightWillies original One for the Troops, a heartfelt wish for the safe return home of Americas soldiers.
Lima Wela, 2010
Hands of Fire is an apt description of 3 of the finest guitarists who call Maui home: the incomparable Willie K, whose versatility takes him from Hawaiian to jazz to Spanish guitar; Avi Ronen, whose Israeli background lends Middle Eastern riffs to his virtuosity; and Joe Cano, whose pan-Latin guitar spills over into jazz. Together, theyre hot!
Slack Key Circus, 2007
The inspired comedy of the Barefoot Natives team of Willie K and Eric Gilliom belies the musical range and talent on this second CD made up largely of original songs by Willie or Eric.
Barefoot Natives, 2006
The debut CD of the wacky pairing of Willie K and Eric Gilliom that produced not only hysterically funny stage shows, but also a CD that features a range of Hawaiian favorites and original songs that show off the musical talents of these two musicians.
Awihilima: Reflections, 2001
Paying homage to some of the greats in Hawaiian music, including those songs whose anonymous authorship have led these favorites to become Traditional, Willie K turns his prodigious talents to the music of his roots, his home, his upbringing.
The Uncle In Me Vol. 2, 2001
The second of two CDs that show off the remarkable talent and range of Willie K. Firmly rooted in the music of his native Hawaii, he also embraces good music whatever the source, reflecting the cultural convergence that has defined Hawaii since European contact.
The Uncle In Me, 2000
A banquet of Willie K at his best, with a range that encompasses Hawaiian favorites to Willie K originals, from lilting melodies to salsa to blues, featuring the astonishing versatility that has become his trademark.
Live At Hapas, 2000
Willie K unleashes all the joy and drive of his rockin blues guitar, dynamic, wild, thrilling. Another of the many sides of Willie K!
Willie Kalikimaka, 1999
The incredible musical versatility of Willie K takes on the holidays best tunes from the haunting depth of a traditional Silent Night to the sassy, local-style, up-beat Mele Kalikimaka and the skanking sounds of A Reggae Christmas, to Willie K's powerful signature piece O Holy Night. Features country legend Willie Nelson, in a soulful duet of Away in A Manger. At its release it hit #1 in Hawaii and rose to #11 on Billboards Worldbeat charts.
Photos
Bio
Able to pretty much ace any kind of music from soulful Hawaiian to incendiary rock, Willie has recently been dazzling audiences with his extraordinary ability to render opera arias. --The Maui News
A Willie K Performance is an adventure. It is an interactive, roller coaster ride of music that can wow even the most seasoned concertgoers. With a repertoire as diverse as his home state of Hawaii, Willies performances offer a cornucopia of musical styles for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. From Hawaiian to Blues, Opera to Rock, and so much more, his mixture of music and comedy earned him the reputation as Hawaiis most versatile artist. His jaw-dropping performances of musical virtuosity bring audiences to standing ovations over and over again.
To try and define Willie K's musical style is dizzying, with his repertoire moving seamlessly from Hawaiian to rock to Spanish and genres in between. In a word, it's eclectic. One minute he and his band are serenading the audience with a mellow instrumental number, and the next, they're belting out a high-octave rock set. The Maui News
Raised on Maui, Willie Kahaiali`i (aka Willie K.) has been entertaining audiences with his music since the age of 10. He has evolved into an eclectic and charismatic singer, songwriter, entertainer, and now actor. One of Hawaiis most versatile talents, Willie performs a myriad of musical genres, including Hawaiian, Jazz, Blues, Reggae, Rock, Country Western, and even Opera, and is a Grammy Music Awards nominee and has earned multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards for his many CD recordings. He has played with or opened for musical giants, such as B.B. King, Santana, Al DiMeola, Willie Nelson, Prince, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Rait, Jackson Browne, Mick Fleetwood, George Benson, Jimmy Buffett and in 2009 he toured Germany with Simply Red.
Willie released his first DVD, Uncle Willie K, Live at Mulligans on the Blue, in December 2009. 2010 CD projects, Lima Wela Hands of Fire was released in March, and his new Christmas CD, Willie Wonderland hit the stores in November. Willie plans to release at least 3 more CDs in 2011, including his long-awaited Blues album.
His musical collaborations are legendary as a duo with Amy Hanaialii; the comic-music team of Barefoot Natives with Eric Gilliom; the huge hit Away in a Manger with Willie Nelson; performing with Mick Fleetwoods Island Rumours Band; and most recently, Lima Wela, his jazz-inflected guitar trio with Avi Ronen and Joe Cano, interweaving Hawaiian, Latino, and Middle Eastern influences with unmatched guitar virtuosity.
And, of course, heading his own immensely popular Willie K band.
Willies community activities are as eclectic as his music, including his Celebrity Golf Tournament on Maui to benefit Maui Memorial Hospitals Oncology unit; President of Hui O Waa Kaulua, which perpetuates Hawaiian culture through traditional canoe-building and sailing; and hosting a Film, Music and Martial Arts Festival to support local youth. And he launched an acting career in 2009, as one of the leads in Get A Job!, which premiered at the Honolulu International Film Festival.
Links
