In episode 101 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine! Host James Patrick Regan speaks with slack key guitarist Keola Beamer, the two of them cover
Keola’s Slack Key (and Hawaiian culture) immersion camp “Aloha Music Camp”.
They talk about how Keola brought Tablature to slack key (and possibly guitar in general) bringing it over from lute transcriptions for his first slack key book in 1971.
They discuss why slack key was kept a family secret in the missionary era of Hawaii and they talk about the first recorded songs of Slack Key, Gabby Pahinui’s “Hi’ilawe” and Chet Atkin’s rendition of Leonard Kwan’s “Opihi Moemoe”.
They discuss Keola’s first exposure to Slack Key and how the exposure changed the direction of his life.
They discuss Keola’s relationship with luthier Steve Grimes and Keola’s thoughts behind guitar making.
Keola discusses his collaborations with other cultures around the world and work he did for the State department doing cultural programs in countries that adversaries to the U.S.
You can find out more about Keola at his website: https://kbeamer.com
And you can find out more about the Aloha Music Camp at their website: https://alohamusiccamp.org Please like, comment and share this podcast! Listen Here!

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Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.