Raymond Kane

Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne (October 2, 1925 - February 27, 2008), was one of Hawaii's acknowledged masters of the slack-key guitar.Born in Koloa, Kauaʻi, he grew up in Nanakuli on Oʻahu's Waiʻanae Coast where his stepfather worked as a fisherman. Kāne's style was distinctive and deceptively simple.He played in a number of ki ho'alu tunings always plucking or brushing the strings with only the thumb and index finger of his right hand.He also played hammer-ons and pull-offs in a unique way; his finger moving up and out, instead of down and in, after striking a string.He emphasized that one must play and sing "from the heart".He was never flashy or fast.In Hawaiian, his sound is described as nahenahe (sweet sounding). He was a recipient of a 1987 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.