Keola & Moanalani Beamer
Bio
“Keola Beamer’s slack key style is the best there is on the planet,” says Willie Nelson.
A Legend in the Hawaiʻi Music Community, Keola Beamer has breathed new life into Kī Hō'alu (slack-key guitar) music while remaining deeply rooted in its Hawaiian heritage. A Hawaiian legend—singer-songwriter, composer, and guitar master—his impeccable style has been featured on The Descendants soundtrack and across 17 acclaimed albums.
Keola was among the first to blend traditional slack-key technique with contemporary sensibilities, making his mark on jazz and classical stages alike. He resides on Maui with his wife, Moanalani Beamer, who graces his performances with the elegance of hula and the rich textures of traditional Hawaiian instruments, adding depth and beauty to every show they share.
“When I was growing up, my mother Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Beamer would often say, “Malama Ko Aloha”. Mom wanted us to cherish or keep our love. Her idea was that by keeping Aloha in our hearts and reflecting upon its meaning in our lives, we could help the idea of Aloha to grow in the world. Thanks to my mother, Aloha became much more than a word to me. It became a way of being in the world.”~Keola Beamer
Keola’s mother, Aunty Nona Beamer, continues to be revered as a Hawaiian cultural treasure and his great-grandmother was one of Hawaiʻi’s most illustrious composers, Helen Desha Beamer.
The Beamers trace their roots to royal families of the 14th century and have been cultural practitioners through generations. So Keola's talent is in his blood, inherited from over five generations of musical and artistic lineage.
Keola established himself early as a leader of the wave of contemporary Hawaiian music when he wrote the classic Honolulu City Lights – which is still one of the absolute all-time best-selling recordings in the history of Hawaiian music. Keola was also the author of the first written instruction book for the Hawaiian Slack Guitar, published in 1972.
Keola is an Award-Winning Author and Artistic Director of The Mohala Hou Foundation, which presents Aloha Music Camp. In January of 2018, Keola was appointed Board Chair of Aloha Kuamoʻo ʻĀina, a 501c3 non-profit formed for the protection and preservation of the Kuamoʻo Battlefield and Burial Grounds in Kona, Hawaii.