Hawaii has lost another a member of the traditional music community.
Palani Vaughan, who stimulated a revival of interest in King David Kalakaua when he recorded a four-album series devoted to the king in the 1970s and ’80s, died Thursday.
He was 72 years old.
“He was just this great guy to talk about the Kingdom. If you wanted to know things about the alii, the royalty, all you had to do was listen to a song,” reflected entertainer Kimo Kahoano. “You felt the ambiance of the Royal Guard. You felt ka mamakakaua, you know, the company of warriors. It was so great.”
A graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Vaughan then attended the University of Hawaii where he met and teamed up with guitarist Peter Moon to form the original Sunday Manoa in 1967 with Cyril Pahinui and Albert “Baby” Kalima, helping lay the groundwork for the Hawaiian cultural renaissance.
Vaughan received the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame two years later.
In 2013, he participated in a music video for Project Kuleana and Kamehameha Publishing for “Kaulana Na Pua,” a beloved mele of opposition to the annexation of Hawaii to the United States.
