Joseph Kekuku
Joseph Kekuku, born in 1874 in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii, is widely recognized as the inventor of the Hawaiian steel guitar, a significant instrument in Hawaiian music. Growing up, he displayed a passion for music, experimenting with guitar techniques as early as age ten. While attending Kamehameha School for Boys, Kekuku developed his steel guitar technique, which involved using a steel bar to produce a glissando sound, diverging from traditional finger fretting. His innovative approach was inspired by various sounds he encountered, leading to the creation of a design that utilized steel strings and a specially shaped steel cylinder.
In 1904, Kekuku left Hawaii to introduce his technique to a broader audience in the United States, performing at notable events and theaters, including the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. His tours contributed to the popularity of Hawaiian music and the steel guitar, influencing genres such as western swing and blues. After an extensive career in music, he returned to teaching and was acknowledged for his exceptional skills. Kekuku passed away in 1932 but left a lasting legacy in music, earning honors including induction into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1993. His contributions continue to resonate in both Hawaiian music and a variety of other musical styles worldwide.
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Joseph Kekuku
Musician and entertainer
- Born: 1874 (sources vary)
- Birthplace: Laie, Hawaii
- Died: January 16, 1932
- Place of death: Dover, New Jersey
Recognized as the inventor of the steel guitar, musician Joseph Kekuku popularized both Hawaiian music and its signature instrument through his tours of the United States and Europe, as well as through his work as a music teacher.
Areas of achievement: Music, entertainment
Early Life
Joseph Kekuku, Jr. was born in Laie on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in 1874, according to most sources. His parents, Joseph Kekuku’upena Apuakehau and Miliama Kaopua, had several children, but no birth record exists for Joseph Jr. indicating the day and month. Little is known about his early life except that, from a young age, Kekuku enjoyed playing guitar, which had been introduced to the islands around 1830. He often was accompanied by his cousin Samuel Na’inoa who played the ukulele and violin. By the age of ten, Kekuku already was experimenting with different techniques to produce a glissando (sliding) sound while playing the guitar and trying to imitate other instruments. In 1889, Kekuku and his cousin were accepted into the college preparatory Kamehameha School for Boys, where their love of playing music continued. While at school, Kekuku perfected a technique of guitar playing called the Hawaiian steel guitar, in which the guitar is held horizontally and a bar (often made of steel) is slid along the neck to change the pitch, rather than pressing the fingers against the frets.
There are numerous explanations for how Kekuku conceived the idea for the steel guitar. One version notes that he tried to imitate the sound of either a zither or violin by running a comb across the strings of his guitar as it lay on his lap. Another story states that, in his dorm room at Kamehameha School, he was playing his guitar when he was given a package from home. He laid the guitar on his lap and accidentally dropped the pocketknife he was using to unwrap the package on it; strumming the knife across the strings, Kekuku felt the sound to be better than that made by a comb. Despite these conflicting stories, it is agreed that, dissatisfied with the sound produced by a comb or pocketknife, Kekuku shaped a steel cylinder in the school’s shop with the assistance of his teacher, John Padigan. After several attempts, he fashioned just the right-sized cylinder that, when slid against the strings, achieved the desired sound.
In addition to shaping the steel bar, Kekuku noticed that the steel strings of other instruments produced the sustained tone that he wanted. Therefore, he changed the guitar’s strings from gut to steel (although the term steel guitar refers to the bar, not the strings) and, to further produce a glissando sound, he also raised the steel strings farther above the frets. Overall, according to Kekuku, it took seven years to perfect his steel guitar design.
During his time at the Kamehameha School, Kekuku was given the opportunity to pursue his interest in music. His first public performance was at a concert in Mission Memorial. He also taught his fellow students the guitar technique he had perfected. Many of those who learned from Kekuku played before family members and friends, thus spreading the popularity of this new instrument.
Life’s Work
Joseph Kekuku left Hawaii in 1904 and toured the United States, where he introduced his steel guitar technique to broader American audiences. Kekuku played in theaters across the country and was among the many musicians from Hawaii who popularized Hawaiian music by playing in Seattle at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and in San Francisco at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, as well as at Chautauqua and in vaudeville shows. These touring groups heavily featured the steel guitar, and it became the signature instrument of Hawaiian music in the early twentieth century.
After touring the United States, Kekuku played steel guitar with the Bird of Paradise show that toured Europe for eight years, beginning in 1919. Among the many European sites at which he played with this troupe was the Wembley Exhibition in London in 1923.
Upon his return to the United States, Kekuku taught at a music school and was considered an exceptional teacher. He moved to Dover, New Jersey, where he died at age fifty-seven on January 16, 1932. He was survived by his wife, Adeline, his father, his brother Edward, and his two sisters, Ivy and Violet. Kekuku’s ashes were returned to Hawaii and were interred at Laie.
Significance
While other claims are made as to its invention, Kekuku is generally accepted as the originator and inventor of the steel guitar. His music and tours made his guitar a central instrument in Hawaiian music. In addition, the instrument’s popularity led to its inclusion in other traveling Hawaiian groups, in films with a Hawaiian theme, and in mainstream American music. Many future steel guitarists were introduced to the instrument through the touring Hawaiian groups that used it to create their signature sound. While its popularity declined in Hawaii in the 1950s and 1960s, in many parts of the world the steel guitar remained the symbolic instrument of Hawaiian music.
Beyond spreading Hawaiian music, the steel guitar also influenced other forms of music in the United States, such as western swing, country, and blues. Kekuku has been honored by the Dover Area Historical Society as well as the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. Kekuku was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1993—an organization that might not exist without his contributions to the field.
Bibliography
Brookes, Tim. “The Hawaiian Invasion.” American History 39.5 (2004): 48–80. Print. Discusses the history of the steel guitar in Hawaii and in American popular music, including Kekuku’s role in developing the instrument.
Most, Daniel L., and George T. Noe. Chris J. Knutsen:From Harp Guitars to the New Hawaiian Family. Everett: Noe Enterprises, 1999. Print. Features the production of Hawaiian steel guitars by Chris Knutsen, who was among the first to manufacture the style.
Ruymar, Lorene, comp. and ed. The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians. Anaheim Hills: Centerstream, 1996. Print. Contains several articles about the steel guitar, its inventor and history, and its international popularity. Addresses the dispute over its invention.
Stone, Robert L. Sacred Steel: Inside an African American Steel Guitar Tradition. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 2010. Print. Examines how the steel guitar and its musicians are an integral part of Pentecostal worship in African American churches.