Esteemed Hawaiian music artist and educator Henry Kaleialoha Allen handed away on Dec. 24, 2022. His son, Aaron, has began a GoFundMe web page to proceed and end his dad’s Hawaiian music studying books for ukulele and Hawaiian metal guitar.
LAHAINA — The Hawaiian music group misplaced a legendary guitarist and educator with the passing of Henry Kaleialoha Allen on Dec. 24, 2022.
Allen handed away at Maui Memorial Medical Middle. He was 89. He’s survived by his spouse, Sherron, and kids Shannon, Lanikai, Queenie and Aaron.
In recent times, Henry carried out on cruise ships, labored with Hawaiian Leisure Co. in Maryland and performed at casinos and company luau occasions.
Aaron has began a Henry Kaleialoha Allen memorial marketing campaign on GoFundMe that seeks to boost $10,000 “… in reminiscence of Henry’s legacy to encourage the youth and subsequent technology of Hawaiian kids to be taught and love music of their heritage and perpetuate the artwork of the Hawaiian metal guitar.”
“We launched the GoFundMe web page to proceed and end his Hawaiian music studying books for ukulele and Hawaiian metal guitar. He had a ardour to stimulate Hawaiian youth to be taught to play music and share and be pleased with their Native Hawaiian heritage,” Aaron defined.
Former West Maui County Councilwoman Jo Anne Johnson Winer labored with Henry at Arts Schooling for Youngsters Group Summer season Music Camps, his Hawaiian Metal Guitar Festivals at Kaanapali Seashore Resort and on some music reveals at Whalers Village.
She helped as a camp chief and labored with Sherron on a number of the planning for the occasions.
“Henry at all times believed that the way forward for Hawaiian music, and notably the survival of the metal guitar, relied on younger musicians studying to like it as a lot as he did. He was essential on this position as a mentor, and he wrote music for the Hawaiian metal guitar that he typically offered at no cost to varsities and college students. With Sherron’s assist, he would apply for grants to assist fund these occasions and lots of the educating supplies that he would use in his courses,” Johnson Winer defined.
“He was not solely a gifted performer however a affected person trainer. What Henry dropped at Hawaiian music and notably the Hawaiian metal guitar was superb. He helped many younger college students be taught to truly learn music, play the metal guitar and recognize the historical past and significance of holding these musical traditions alive. In the event you take a look at the hours he spent transcribing and placing the educating supplies collectively, you’ll perceive why he had so little time for his performances. He sacrificed, together with Sherron, a lot of his profession to commit his time to educating, writing music and perpetuating Hawaiian music in order that it could dwell on after him.”
Aaron mentioned music schooling was vital to his father, as a result of he noticed lots of this technology dropping curiosity in Hawaiian music and studying to play and browse music appropriately.
“He wrote and will learn music, which helped him in each style of music. He might play any model of music so long as he had a music sheet or chart, giving him many alternatives different Hawaiian musicians who couldn’t learn music didn’t have,” he added.
Amongst many different accolades, Henry was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts in 2015. The Hawaii Academy of Recording Artists and the State Basis on Tradition and the Arts additionally awarded him the title of Grasp Trainer.
Henry was born on June l, 1933, in Hilo, Hawaii, to Martha and Henry Allen. He was raised in Manoa Valley.
He was impressed to be taught music by his great-grandfather, William Merseburgh, who was appointed by King Kamehameha III to function a band chief for the King’s Royal Band (now generally known as the Royal Hawaiian Band).
He entered the skilled area of music on the age of 13. After graduating from McKinley Excessive College in 1952, at 15, Henry performed metal guitar with the Honolulu Policeman’s Glee Membership and Gonzales Brothers Troupe. This quickly led to him taking part in with Sterling Mossman, Barney Isaacs and Alfred Aholo Apaka on the Royal Hawaiian Resort.
He left for Los Angeles to review music principle and concord, and studying and writing music, however Alfred Apaka satisfied Henry to return and carry out in Waikiki’s thriving music scene with the Alec Kaeck Quartet, Richard Kauhi Quartet, Benny Sax Quartet and Martin Denny’s band.
He later landed in West Maui, taking part in for 3 years on the Lahaina Wharf.
Within the Seventies, Henry produced dinner and dance music at three showrooms on Maui. Within the years that adopted, he launched the Hawaiian Music Institute and College of Music, based Rainbow Information, wrote songs and recorded albums, printed key books on Hawaiian music and songs which might be used to teach college students, and continued to carry out on a busy schedule.
After being concerned with leisure productions on a number of cruise strains by the Hawaiian Islands, from 2012-15, he produced cultural applications of Hawaii and French Polynesia on the ships of Holland America Cruise Strains.
In a 2015 interview, Henry mentioned he was grateful to be a part of the “Golden Period” of Hawaii and the legendary artists.
“(Hawaii’s music scene has) been moving into very totally different instructions; has been doing so for a while. Probably not skilled anymore — when one does a recording of their storage, or on-line, what do you say? Is that this listenable music? No finesse anymore; something goes,” he mentioned.
“I’m grateful that I used to be a fantastic a part of the ‘Golden Period’ of Hawaii, when all of our actual music legends had their very own showrooms, every island’s accommodations featured a fantastic Hawaiian performer and did concert events, and the accommodations employed them and paid them properly for his or her abilities.”
Aaron will bear in mind his father as “mushy spoken however a perfectionist when it got here to music and taking part in. Type and beneficiant.”
Johnson Winer will bear in mind Henry as a fantastic buddy.
“He was one of many kindest, most mild folks I’ve ever met, and collectively he and Sherron made the proper couple. Sherron supported his efforts and was his most devoted fan,” she famous.
“I’ve virtually all of Henry’s CDs and a few of his educating supplies and music, which I treasure. The factor I bear in mind most was when my husband Jim handed away, that Henry performed a few of Jim’s favourite music at his funeral on the Makawao Veterans Cemetery. Henry was not solely somebody I labored with, however he was a real buddy who will ceaselessly stay in my coronary heart and ideas.”
