Makana

Hawaiian slack key guitarist Makana was born on the island of Oahu. He began singing at the age of seven. At nine, he took up the ukulele, adding the slack key guitar when he was 11 and studying with Sonny Chillingworth. He had already turned professional by the age of 14. His debut album, Makana, was released in 1999; it won the Best World Music Album Award at the Hawaii Music Awards. It was followed by Koi Au in 2002 and Ki Ho'alu: Journey of Hawaiian Slack Key in 2003. In 2006, Makana contributed to the Grammy-nominated album Hawaiian Slack Key Kings. The same year, his fourth album, Different Game, was released.