Martin Pahinui

Youngest son of the great Gabby Pahinui, Martin Pahinui grew up, unsurprisingly, in an atmosphere that was saturated with music. He first picked up the ukulele at age three and taught himself to play over the years. Guitar followed in adolescence, and as a teenager the young Martin joined his brothers in a rock 'n' roll group called the Characters that played all the hits of the era. But as the political 1960s progressed, youth began turning back to their native culture, and the Pahinui brothers were no exception. In the early '70s Martin found himself part of a family supergroup, the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, which included his father, brothers and the slack-key legend Sonny Chillingworth. Pahinui returned to rock 'n' roll after that group dissolved, though in recent years he's once again proved his considerable traditional and vocal chops on releases with Windham Hill Records.