Raised on Maui, Willie Kahaiali’i (a.k.a.Willie K.) has been playing music and entertaining audiences since the age of 10. His father Manu Kahaiali’i, one of Hawaii’s most respected musicians, recruited Willie and his brothers to perform in his band. From the very beginning, Willie was influenced by and exposed to a myriad of musical genres; from the Hawaiian, Jazz, and early R&B he heard at his father’s side, to the sounds emanating from the radio and TV from musical giants such as B.B. King, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Willie Nelson. It is no wonder why Willie has evolved into such an eclectic and charismatic singer/songwriter/entertainer. By his high school graduation, Willie was playing in as many as 8 bands from country and western, salsa, rhythm and blues, rock, and of course Hawaiian. A few years later he moved to San Francisco determined to make it in the music scene there.
After several years in California, Willie gained some notoriety opening for groups such as Cecilio and Kapono. But after one too many earthquakes, he decided to return home. Back on Maui, with renewed determination, Willie focused on recording an album of his own. His first three albums changed the direction of contemporary Hawaiian music. He swept up multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (The Hawaiian Grammy’s) from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, and continued to record for a new company, Round Island Records. After two more recording efforts, he took a break from recording his own music and teamed up with a new talent, Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom. He has produced three albums with Amy for The Mountain Apple Company. He earned 2 more Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for Producer of the year, while Amy won Album of the Year, Female Vocalist, Song of the Year, and Hawaiian Album of the Year awards.
In 1999, while working on Amy’s new album, Willie filled the studio with his own music. Between takes and on breaks, Willie kept the recorder going and finished a Christmas album, “Willie Kalikimaka.”
“Willie Kalikimaka” reflected Willie’s favorite songs for the season and fulfilled the public’s demand for his version of “O Holy Night,” recorded some years back as a single. “Away in a Manger” was almost completely recorded when Willie K ran into Willie Nelson on Maui. The conversation resulted in a duet of this incredible rendition of this Christmas classic and an experience that will be etched into Willie K’s musical career. The common language of music created an instant friendship. “Willie Kalikimaka” ended up being the biggest selling Christmas CD in 1999 and hit local sales charts at the #1 spot, beating the new recordings of Mariah Carey and Santana, while rising to #11 on Billboard Magazine’s Worldbeat charts.
The beginning of 2000 also brought forth a new CD, “The Uncle In Me”, which compiles the best of Willie’s music into a single recording. The songs, which have been Willie’s trademark pieces, have been unavailable on the market for years. “The Uncle In Me” brought these songs back to the ears of Willie K fans, digitally re-mastered to highlight the musical and vocal talents of Willie K.
The end of the century and millennium brought some very exciting changes for Willie K. After 5 years devoted to the advancement of Amy Gilliom’s career, Willie has decided to re-launch and pursue his own solo career again, while also developing other talent. In December, Willie announced the formation of his new company, Maui Tribe Productions – an independent entertainment enterprise.
In all his professional years, Willie K. has played with and/or opened for such musical giants as B.B. King, Santana, Al DiMeola, Willie Nelson, Prince, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Elvin Bishop, Bonnie Rait, Jackson Browne, Mick Fleetwood, George Benson and Jimmy Buffett … just to name a few!
By the end of 2004, Willie had garnered national attention with appearances on VH-1′s “100 Greatest Love Songs”, Extra, performing the halftime shows on Monday Night Football’s Jets vs. Raiders game, and the 2004 NFL’s Pro Bowl. In 2004, Willie also received his first Grammy nomination for his collaboration with Amy Gilliom for their “Amy & Willie Live” CD.
In 2005, Willie began performing with Eric Gilliom, Amy’s brother, and formed The Barefoot Natives. The duo created a natural blend of Hawaiian contemporary sound that has their signature stamp on it. Both CDs, “Barefoot Natives” and “Slack Key Circus”, received multiple Hoku nominations, winning one Hoku award in 2007 for “Best New Artist”. The duo continues to perform their music along side one of rock-n-roll’s historical icon, Mick Fleetwood, in his Island Rumours Band.
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