The 50 YEARS OF THE SONGS of C&K LIFETIME PARTY & ANNIVERSARY TOUR celebrates Henry Kapono’s legacy spanning over five decades of music, leadership, and community support. From the era-defining & iconic songs of C&K to his award-winning & Grammy-nominated solo career and the 30th anniversary of performing “Duke’s on Sunday,” Hawaiߵi’s longest-running live music event in one location, Henry continues to share his music and Mālama Hawaiߵi’s music community through the Henry Kapono Foundation.
This twelve-city, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME TOUR EVENT pays tribute to THE SONGS of C&K in their original style and includes highlights of events & songs throughout Henry’s career. Henry kicks off his LIFETIME PARTY in July with a solo summer tour in the intimate setting of some of the nation’s most popular music houses throughout the west coast, allowing audiences to join in his 50th celebration with the legend himself.
“Traveling on his lifelong path of Aloha, Henry continues to create a soundtrack of our lives,
contributing to the common good with kindness, commitment, and unwavering passion for his home…”
~Generations Magazine 2023
HENRY KAPONO ROSE TO IMMENSE POPULARITY with the phenomenon Cecilio & Kapono (aka C&K) as half of the duo with Cecilio Rodriguez. As the first Hawaiߵi group to be signed by a major record label, Columbia Records, C&K helped forge the sound of the 70s “Hawaiian Music Renaissance” with laid-back contemporary island rock that voiced the feelings of an entire generation in Hawai‘i. It was not long before Henry’s talent evolved into a successful solo career in the mid-'80s and paved the way to work with some of the country's most famous musicians and producers. Today as a solo artist, Henry is a Grammy-nominated and award-winning singer and songwriter, winning 21 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai‛i’s “Grammy’s”), and by public vote, 2021 Favorite Entertainer of the Year.
NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. Henry continues to produce new music, tour and is highly sought after for his creative vision, rich voice, and guitar mastery from acoustic to electric. Ever evolving, Henry is currently the Music Director for the upcoming film, Shaka - A Story Of Aloha and Co-Producer of a full-length documentary film, “Home in the Islands,” on the pop culture of music in Hawaiʻi . In addition to his debut as a film Producer, he is celebrating 30 years of performing live at “Duke's on Sunday” on Waikīkī Beach, the 5th anniversary of the Henry Kapono Foundation he co-founded with his wife in 2018, and is the recipient of the 2023 Punahou Academy Alumni Association’s most prestigious “O” In Life Award in recognition of Henry’s exemplary community service.
Known as "Kapono", the Hawaiian word for righteous, Henry is pure Hawaiian, born and raised in Kapahulu, a small town just outside Waikiki. He started singing in a children's church choir at age 5. His athletic abilities earned him a baseball scholarship to the renowned Punahou Academy (Pres.Obama’s alma mater) and a football scholarship to the University of Hawai‘i. Injuries cut short a professional football career, but, profoundly, moved him toward his passion for music and allowed him to fully realize his potential as an artist. Though he had no formal musical training, "My Dad taught me how to play the ‘ukulele.” says Henry. “I saw a friend of mine play a guitar one day and fell in love with the sound of it. He taught me a few chords and I've been hooked ever since.” Touring with a local rock band in the late 60s, he ended up stranded by the promoter in Vietnam. He and the band spent 2 years performing for the troops in Vietnam and Thailand before returning to Hawai‘i. The experience left him with a lasting commitment to peace, a deep appreciation for life, and compassion and aloha (love) for all people—themes that continue to resonate in his music. When he soared to the forefront of Hawaiian music in the 1970s with the duo Cecilio & Kapono, they became the first Hawai‘i group to achieve a national recording contract (Columbia Records). Together they recorded 13 albums and gave contemporary and folk rock—and Hawaiian music—a new perspective.
Always musically adventurous, Henry launched a solo career in 1981 and has released 20 albums to date. He is also the author of the award winning children's book A Beautiful Hawaiian Day, and has performed in films and made many television appearances. He has always broken new ground with his collaborations –The Wild Hawaiian in 2006, combining driving rock and slam poetry with Hawaiian chant; Henry Kapono & FRIENDS concert series featuring Henry and top entertainers from Hawaii; and Rough Riders in 2015, celebrating the haunting harmonies and unique blending of guitars of Hawai’i’s cowboys (paniolo).
In 2017 the legacy of Henry’smusic was featured in the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and at the Hawai‘I Convention Center. 2018 saw the launch of the Henry Kapono Foundation to support Hawai‘i’s Music and the Arts, with a groundbreaking project that produced 10 of Hawai‘i’s most popular up-and-coming artists in a modern collaboration of The Songs of C&K classics, with releases inboth CD and Vinyl.
