“He’s an exceptional musician. He’ll bring the spirit of the island to the concert.”—Paul Simon    

“There’s no better slack key player than Beamer.”—Willie Nelson

Raised on the Hawai‘i Island, Keolamaikalani Breckenridge Beamer was born into one of Hawai'i's most illustrious and beloved musical and culturally grounded families. He established himself early as the family's youngest standard-bearer. A child of the rock & roll era, he was at the vanguard of Hawaiian contemporary sound. Yet he also helped drive what became the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance, recording many songs written by his ancestors, including his legendary great-grandmother, Helen Desha Beamer, and his mother, Nona Beamer. Keola studied classical guitar and went on to publish a slack key method book using a 16th-century lute tablature system as his starting point.

He was one of Hawai'i's first recording artists to integrate Hawaiian chants and instruments, like the tiny gourd whistle and nose flute, into contemporary forms of music. Keola has recorded and produced more than a dozen albums, has won numerous Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (Hawai'i's Grammy), appeared on Sesame Street and NBC’s Today Show, and was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. He has been nominated twice for a Grammy Award, and was featured on the soundtrack of the George Clooney film, The Descendants. He was awarded the prestigious NACF Artist Fellowship in 2014 by the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation in recognition of his significant contributions to native Hawaiian cultural life.