Keola Beamer: Discover the Honolulu City Lights!

Keola Beamer was born in Hawaii with the name Keolamaikalani Breckenridge Beamer. He is one of the most important artists of Hawaii and players of slack-key guitar, which is a Hawaiian style of music wherein the acoustic guitar is played by fingerpicking. Keola Beamer comes from a family of artists. He is the grandson of Helen Desha Beamer (hula dancer and songwriter) and son of  "Auntie Nona” (dancer, educator and composer). His musical training began while he was a teenager. He studied classical guitar and accompanied dancers at the hula studio of his mother.

However, his first release was a solo effort that received the support of independent recording labels and was distributed only in Hawaii. This album, released in 1972 was Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar in the Real Old Style. His next albums were the result of a duo effort with his brother Kapono. Their work was especially important in the establishment of the musical movement called “Hawaiian Contemporary”, which consists of the fusion of traditional instruments and musical styles with soundtrack, pop, folk-revival, latin, rock, among other genres.

Keola Beamer is the composer of “Honolulu City Lights” which is one of the most outstanding albums and singles ever performed just for one reason,  it has the ability to touch our hearts with music that goes beyond time and space. He did not achieve international popularity until 1994 when the number of his followers increased. Previously, his recordings have not had enough support by mainstream radio or others than independent recording companies.

With a new label, Dancing Cat, Keola Beamer recorded some of his most known albums: Wooden Boat, Moe 'uhane Kika, Mauna Kea, White Mountain Journal and Kolonahe. He did not refuse contemporary influences but his music will be always focusing on Hawaiin lyrics and slack-key guitar. Keola Beamer is committed with the education of new generations. For that reason, he has spent part of his life as a professor and even wrote an instruction book with the Slack Key Guitar method.