Hawaiian Music Collection - Keawe, Genoa: Performer Biography

Genoa Keawe, known as "Aunty Genoa", was born on October 31, 1919 in Oahu, Hawaii. She grew up singing in her Mormon Church choir, where her love of singing began. She started her professional career in 1939, singing for bandstand shows in Kailua and at the Officers Club before WWII. In 1946, Genoa recorded the first of over 140 singles and is known for her falsetto singing, bell yodeling and her ability to hold a note for over two minutes. She opened her own record label in 1966 and presented a repertoire for modern hula. She owned and operated her own hula studio in the Pauoa neighborhood of Honolulu for many years and her music is featured at many hula shows. Considered a "Living Treasure of Hawaii", she was inducted into the Hawaii Music Hall of Fame in 2000. She also received an award from the National Endowment for the Culture and Arts. Aunty Genoa passed away at the age of 89 in Honolulu.

Kasher, Robert Kamohalu. Burl Burlingame. Da Kine Conversations with the People who Create Hawaiian Music. Kailua, HI: Press Pacifica, 1953. (27-35).

Kahumoku, George, "Guest Artist…Genoa Keawe," Slack Key Show Masters of Music, http://www.slackkey.com/about_genoakeawe.php (accessed December 5, 2010).

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