Ka Makākiu Mele Hawaiʻi

Translated as “The Hawaiian Music Detective” (and so named by famed Hawaiian musician and composer Cody “Pueo” Pata), in “Ka Makākiu Mele Hawai`i” Ho`olohe Hou Radio host/creator Bill Wynne tackles long held myths and misconceptions about Hawaiian music – artists, composers, songs, recordings – as well as many a mystery that has gone forever unexplored. Who is the mystery steel guitarist on that album? Who were the backing singers on that track? Who really wrote that song? Why has a song or recording gone missing? Why do different singers sing different lyrics to the same song? As Hawaiian music had been – until very recently – largely an oral tradition, there is often no written documentation to aid us in ferreting out the answers to such questions. But Wynne has a different toolkit – keen ears and nearly every Hawaiian music recording ever waxed. More importantly, Wynne is also a musician who plays all the instruments and styles you are likely to hear on these records – steel guitar, slack key guitar, `ukulele, bass, and falsetto singing. Wynne knows how Hawaiian music is made, so he is well equipped to tackle the questions that have haunted him for so long as well as yours. Just drop a line to Ho`olohe Hou Radio on our Contacts page to submit a question or story idea. And stay tuned to Ho`olohe Hou Radio to hear Wynne unravel these mysteries – and perhaps solve a few along the way – as “Ka Makākiu Mele Hawai`i” airs several times throughout each week.