Biography
The National Heritage Award recognized brothers Richard and Solomon Ho'opi'i for safeguarding the traditional Hawaiian vocal style known as leo ki'eki'e, in which male singers employ an elevated falsetto. Images of the amply built Ho'opi'i Brothers contrast sharply with the ethereal sweetness often attributed to their voices.
Born in the 1940s in Kahakuloa on Maui, the siblings grew up amid a family devoted to music and custom, where their mother contributed through church hymn singing and their father served as a music instructor. Local elders known as the Kupuna conveyed many of the songs the brothers continue to perform. Their debut recording, No Ka 'Oi, appeared in 1976, after which they maintained a recording career for the following twenty-five years; The Mountain Apple Company issued Ho'omau, their first compact disc, in 2000.
The brothers regard their singing as a divine gift and always begin each performance with a prayer. Ukulele frequently accompanies their music, which at times incorporates Western yodeling, as heard on "Hawaiian Cowboy." Their award-winning vocals have appeared in documentaries and films while also featuring at the Hawaiian State Folklife Festival and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
In addition to recording, Richard Ho'opi'i teaches both senior citizens and schoolchildren about the history of native Hawaiian music and the practice of the ukulele; he has received the Na Hoku Hanohano Award. The brothers accepted a Folk Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1996.
Born in the 1940s in Kahakuloa on Maui, the siblings grew up amid a family devoted to music and custom, where their mother contributed through church hymn singing and their father served as a music instructor. Local elders known as the Kupuna conveyed many of the songs the brothers continue to perform. Their debut recording, No Ka 'Oi, appeared in 1976, after which they maintained a recording career for the following twenty-five years; The Mountain Apple Company issued Ho'omau, their first compact disc, in 2000.
The brothers regard their singing as a divine gift and always begin each performance with a prayer. Ukulele frequently accompanies their music, which at times incorporates Western yodeling, as heard on "Hawaiian Cowboy." Their award-winning vocals have appeared in documentaries and films while also featuring at the Hawaiian State Folklife Festival and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
In addition to recording, Richard Ho'opi'i teaches both senior citizens and schoolchildren about the history of native Hawaiian music and the practice of the ukulele; he has received the Na Hoku Hanohano Award. The brothers accepted a Folk Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1996.
Albums