Peter Moon (musician)
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Peter Moon (born August 25, 1944) is a ʻukulele and (slack-key) guitar master.
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[edit] Career
Peter Moon was born on the island of Oʻahu to Wook and Shay-Yung Moon. From the late 1950s through the 1960s, he gained musical inspiration, insight, and knowledge; playing as a Maile Serenader and with Gabby "Pops" Pahinui in the 1960s. Later, in the 1970s, he also served as Gabby's manager. Soon after, Moon became a founding member of the Sunday Manoa, along with Palani Vaughn, Alfred "Baby" Kalima, and Cyril Pahinui (one of Gabby's sons). After Vaughan and Cyril left the group, Moon released another album (Hawaiian Time) with Alfred and another of Gabby's sons named Bla. After this however, Moon remained the only member and recruited the very young Robert and Roland Cazimero. In 1969, their first album, Guava Jam was released and became seen as the spark of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance. Two more albums were released, but personal conflicts within the group led to their eventual breakup.[1]
One of Sunday Manoa's best known works, "Hawaiian Lullaby," by Moon and Hector Venegas, was released in 1973 on their third and final album. The song was written for Venegas' infant daughter, who was suffering from bacterial meningitis.[2]
After the break up of the Sunday Manoa, the Cazimeros continued, with great and continuing success, as the Brothers Cazimero. Moon, however, did not return to regular performing until 1979, when his new group, The Peter Moon Band, released Tropical Storm, which garnered four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. In 1983 Moon released Cane Fire, which earned an unprecedented seven Na Hoku Hanohano awards. The band was very popular, with a stylistic range that ran from Hawaiian to reggae to samba, jazz, and swing. Throughout the 1980s, The Peter Moon Band remained a staple of the Hawaiian music scene winning a third Na Hoku Hanohano award for album of the year with Black Orchid in 1988. The "PMB" also met great success from tours in Japan. There were many changes in the band's membership, which included at various times Bobby Hall, Steven Hall, Witt Shingle, Martin Pahinui, Cyril Pahinui, Randy Lorenzo, Merv Ching, Milt Holland, Mark Yim, Dwight Kanae, Ocean Kaowili, David Choy, and Steve Wofford.
In the mid 90's, Moon started producing instrumental albums which led to his first ʻukulele instructional video, The Magic of the Ukulele. Moon was active in other facets of the music business in Hawaiʻi. He started his own record label and distributing company, and he produced and promoted two annual festivals. In 1970 he and Ron Rocha co-founded of the Kanikapila (Hawaiian for "let's play music") festival, a celebration of Hawaiian music and dance, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They started the festival because many college-aged young people did not know many of the greats in Hawaiian music such as Gabby Pahinui. Kanikapila remained an annual event for 25 years, then was revived briefly in 2002 as Kalakoa Jam.[3] Later, he produced the Blue Hawaiian Moonlight concerts at the Waikiki Shell, featuring prominent names in Hawaiian music.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Sunday Manoa
[edit] Studio
1967 Meet Palani Vaughan and the Sunday Manoa
1968 Hawaiian Time
1969 Guava Jam
1972 Crack Seed
1973 Sunday Manoa 3
[edit] Compilation
1982 Best of Sunday Manoa Vol I
1982 Best of Sunday Manoa Vol II
[edit] Peter Moon Band
[edit] Studio
1979 Tropical Storm
1980 Malie 1981 Best of the Peter Moon Band
1982 Cane Fire
1983 Harbor Lights 1988 The Guitar Man
1988 Black Orchid
1989 Full Moon
1990 The Music Makers
1991 Heat Wave
1991 Malie
1992 Midnight Sun
1993 Oasis
1994 Iron Mango
1996 The Path
[edit] Compilation
1986 Greatest Hits Collection I
1999 Greatest Hits Collection II (1988-1998)
[edit] Other albums
1989 Dance with Me
1995 Ho'i Hou
1998 Kanikapila
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Peter Moon Profile at Mountain Apple Company
- New Moon Phase in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
