This week marks the long-awaited return of singer-songwriter, Grammy® and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner John Cruz to the Pakele Live! with Tony Solis stage!
John grew up in Palolo Valley on O’ahu, and comes from a large and musically diverse family. He left Hawai’i in 1983 and moved to the east coast, where he lived for 12 years. During his time there he developed his own style as a singer-songwriter and played in subways, coffeehouses and bars in New York's Greenwich Village, as well as in clubs and local haunts from Martha's Vineyard to the Boston area. While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, John also ventured into acting and dancing. He spent six years in theatre and dance companies, performing everywhere from Lincoln Center to Washington D.C., and his performance in the lead role in "The Dance and the Railroad," by Tony Award-winning Broadway playwright David Henry Hwang (of M. Butterfly fame) was nationally recognized in the finals of a collegiate drama competition.
Perhaps best known for his hit songs "Shine On," "Sitting in Limbo" and "Island Style," which has become a local anthem, long-time fans will recall John playing bass in brother Ernie’s immensely popular band the Ka’au Crater Boys in 1995, just prior to releasing his 1996 debut hit album “Acoustic Soul.” The album won two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 1997, for Contemporary Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist, and has sold over 100,000 copies in Hawaii alone. Most songs from the album still receive daily radio airplay and can be heard on numerous compilation CDs, as well as throughout the state in hotels, airports, shopping malls, school music classes, and in TV and radio commercials.
In 2005, John added the Grammy Award to his list of honors. His original song "Jo Bo's Night" was featured on the compilation CD “Slack Key Guitar Volume 2,” which won the first Grammy® ever awarded for Hawaiian music.
With the 2007 release of his second solo album “One of These Days,” John found himself quickly rising up the Billboard charts. Within one week of its release, the album was #1 in Hawaii, #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart for the Pacific Region and #6 on the Billboard World Chart. Critics described it as "brilliant" and "one of the year's finest albums, local or otherwise." John was awarded yet another Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award in 2008 for Contemporary Album of the Year. He was also named Best Singer Songwriter by Hawaii Magazine in 2008.
Over the years, John has attracted some stellar fans. Stars like Jack Johnson, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Lisa Loeb, and others. World Champion surfer Kelly Slater featured three of John's songs on his DVD, "Letting Go," in 2006. Jack Johnson has released "Island Style" on several CDs and plays it frequently in concert. John is the official spokesman for Sprint Hawaii's Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, which donates free ‘ukuleles to school music programs in need. He visits classrooms and gives surprise performances to inspire kids to achieve and believe in themselves.
He has played the massive Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Summerstage in New York's Central Park, Carnegie Hall and prominent national venues up and down both coasts. He headlined four galas during President Obama's inauguration and played 14 shows at the prestigious SXSW (South by Southwest) music festival in Austin, Texas in 2009, as one of the first Hawaiians ever invited to showcase there.
Join host Tony Solis for Pakele Live! on Thursday, October 7 from 6-8 p.m. HST in the Pakele Lounge at the Ala Moana Hotel (410 Atkinson Dr., Honolulu). There is no cover charge or minimum, although your purchase of two drinks or soft drinks helps ensure the continuation of the Pakele Live! concert series. All ages are welcome, and free parking is available next door at Ala Moana Shopping Center.
You may also watch the show live online at: http://www.pakelelive.com/
(Please email the show at pakele @ lava.net and let us know you’re watching! Mention your name and where you’re located - city, state – or country, if outside the U.S.!)
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JOHN CRUZ! Pakele Live, 10/7
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 11:00:03 PM
