Willie K

William Awihilima Kahaialiʻi (October 17, 1960 – May 18, 2020), known as Willie K,^[1] was a Hawaiian musician who performed in a variety of styles, including blues, rock, opera and Hawaiian music.^[2][1]

Willie K
Willie K performing on Maui
Born	William Awihilima Kahaiali'i (1960-10-17)October 17, 1960 Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, US
Died	May 18, 2020 (aged 59) Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, US
Occupations	Singer songwriter musician entertainer
Years active	1970–2018
Awards	Na Hoku Hanohano Award
Musical career
Genres	Hawaiian music blues rock opera cachi cachi
Instruments	Vocals guitar ukulele
Website	williek.com

Early life

Born and raised in a family of musicians in Lahaina, Hawaii, Willie began performing at the age of 8 alongside his father, Hawaiian jazz guitarist Manu Kahaialiʻi.^[3][4]

Career

In 1993, Willie began a collaboration with Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom that would last for nine years. The pair recorded, performed, and toured together, and also shared a personal relationship.^[5] Their recordings won seven Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, part of Willie's total of 19 Hokus as a musician and producer.^[6][7]

In 2005, Willie's reunion album with Gilliom, Amy & Willie Live, was nominated for a Grammy in the first year of the Best Hawaiian Music Album award.^[8]

In 2007, Willie K became one of very few artists to win a Hoku as part of three different acts – his collaboration with Eric Gilliom called "Barefoot Natives" won Best Contemporary Hawaiian Album, in addition to wins already achieved with Amy and as a solo artist.^[9]

Genres

Willie K played many different genres of music including Hawaiian music, blues, rock, opera, and Cachi Cachi music.^[10][11]

Cancer and death

In February 2018, Willie K was diagnosed with lung cancer and promptly canceled upcoming performances in Honolulu.^[12] In April 2019, Willie announced via his Facebook page that he was undergoing immunotherapy.^[6]

In January 2020, in a video posted to Facebook, Willie announced that his cancer was at the terminal stage. He made the video after a concert at Blue Note Hawaii in Waikiki. He stated that his "spirits remained high during the concert," which was supposed to be only a 90-minute set, but lasted for two hours. "The crowd deserved it," he said.^[13]

Willie K died at age 59 on May 18, 2020.^[14][15][16]