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Philip Kunia”Gabby” or “Pops” Pahinui by Unknown Author –

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Gabby Pahinui

Recognized as arguably the most influential slack key guitar player, Gabby Pahinui is a true musical legend and hero. He is the inspiration of many slack key guitarists and singers that came after him.

Gabby Pahinui is a Hawaiian music singer as well as a slack-key guitarist. He was born on April 22nd, 1921, and died at 59 years of age on October 13th, 1980. Born into poverty, Pahinui is known as the working man鈥檚 hero as he worked his way to international fame and acclaim.

His game-changing artistry and creativity is almost single-handedly responsible for keeping the genre alive at a time when it was dying off. His influence on Hawaii鈥檚 music and culture is immense.

Below are some fascinating facts about Gabby Pahinui.

1. Also Known as Pops Pahinui

One thing Gabby seems to have in abundance other than talent is names. Throughout his life and career, he identified by several different names.

His birth name was Charles Kapono Kahahawai Jr. He would later h膩naied (adopt)the name Philip together with his brother. At the same time, his sister adopted the name Emily Pahinui.

From this point on, he was known as Philip Kunia Pahinui. Later, he would take up other names including his stage name Gabby Pahinui and later Pops Pahinui.

2. Dropped Out of School At 5th Grade

Gabby was born and raised in a poor family in the impoverished district of Kaka’ako in Honolulu in the 1920s. This meant that he had to struggle and work a lot as a child to support his family which strained his school life.

As a boy, he worked as a shoe shiner and sold/delivered newspapers to help the financial situation at home. It’s hard enough working 2 jobs as an adult imagine what this did to a child who also had to attend school. After completing 5th grade, Gabby had no choice but to drop out of school.

3. Began Playing the Bass Before Moving to The Guitar

Guitar by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Pahinui began playing Bass at 10 years of age. However, he soon after transitioned to the guitar. He quickly grasped the instrument and was playing officially soon enough before he could learn how to read music.

He played purely by ear and memory which gave his music a natural and easy feel that was hard for other artists. After learning to play the steel guitar, he got a job playing backup guitar for musician Charley “Tiny” Brown.

4. Developed Drinking Problems Early in His Life

Man with an alcohol bottle by Michal Jarmoluk from

Pahinui began playing with Brown at 13 years of age. He gained fame very fast and soon was a local celebrity as a teenager. With this fame and little to no supervision, any teenager will more than likely be in trouble as so did young Gabby Pahinui.

Brown and his band played mostly at bars and sooner rather than later he started drinking. Remember, this was back in the 1930s before there was a Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) act. This was the beginning of his drinking problems which he struggled with for the rest of his life.

5. Married at Age 17

Wedding by StockSnap from Pixabay

In 1938, at age 17, Gabby would meet his wife to be Emily Pulipuli Pahinui. Within a year, the two were married. At the time of marriage, Pahinui was 17 years old while his wife was 19.

The two remained married for the rest of their lives until Gabby鈥檚 death in 1980. They had 10 children together and sadly lost three more to miscarriages.

Cyril Pahinui, Bla Pahinui, and Martin Pahinui are three of Gabby’s children that are prominent in the Hawaiian music scene. They all contributed to the Gabby Band records and went on to pursue careers as musicians.

6. Learnt His Slack-Key Guitar Skills from Herman

Despite having amazing vocals, Gabby was most known for his mastery of the Hawaiian slack-key guitar. According to Gabby, he learned this skill from a man he only named Herman. He claimed that this 鈥楬erman鈥� was the greatest slack-key player of all time.

There was a lot of speculation as to who Herman was. However, a few years later slack-key guitarist Ray Kane would gain fame. His father was named Herman and therefore general consensus is that he was the said Herman.

7. He Made the First Recording of a Hawaiian Song with a Slack-Key Guitar

Gabby recorded “Hi’ilawe,” his debut track, for the Bell Records label in 1946. This was the first time a Hawaiian song was recorded with a slack-key guitar. “Hula Medley,” the first recording of a slack-key guitar instrumental, was released the next year.

He also produced two additional significant sides for Bell around this time. They are the instrumental “Key Koalu” (a misspelling of “Ki Ho’alu,” the Hawaiian word for “slack key”) and the vocal “Wai O Ke Aniani.” For Aloha Records, he also produced another version of “Hi’ilawe.”

8. Had Financial Troubles Even with His Success

Penniless by Tumisu from Pixabay

Pahinui鈥檚 reputation as a musician grew tremendously both in Hawaii and the mainland United States. He was invited to play with some famous musicians such as Ray Kinney, George Kainapau, Lena Machado, Alvin Isaacs, Barney Isaacs, and Andy Cummings.

He also hosted musicians for recording sessions at his home. However, despite this success, he still had financial troubles. To support his wife and kids, he worked for the City and County of Honolulu road crews, doing pick and shovel work.

9. Crucial Contributor to The Hawaiian Renaissance

What is the Hawaiian Renaissance you ask? It was the resurgence of Hawaii鈥檚 cultural identity diverging from the tourism-based culture that was becoming significant. Gabby Pahinui played a crucial role in this cultural awakening.

This was through a string of albums from the 1960s to the late 1970s which depicted Hawaii in all its glory. In 1972, he made 4 albums with a crew that would later be known as the 鈥淕abby Band.鈥� These albums include; Gabby (1972), Rabbit Island Music Festival (1973), Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Vol 1 (1975), and Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Vol 2 (1976).

10. Died of A Heart Attack

On October 13th, 1980, Gabby Pahinui died of a heart attack at age 59. The Hawai’i Academy of Recording Artists Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Pahinui in 1997.

For his contributions as a Sons of Hawaii member, he was given a second Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In 2002, Pahinui was admitted to the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.