Eddie Leilani Kamae was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised both there and in Lahaina, Maui. When he was 14 years old, his father would take him to jam sessions where Eddie would get up on stage to play, earning accolades from the audiences who threw money at the performers" feet.
He is a "ukulele virtuoso, singer, composer, film producer and primary proponent of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance. He learned to play the "ukulele with an instrument his bus driver brother found on the public transport. Eddie would sit by the radio and try to play with any rhythm section he was hearing, usually Latin, classical and jazz tunes.
Kamae began going to Queen"s Surf to listen to the Hawaiian music being played.
In 1948, Kamae and Shoi Ikemi formed the Ukulele Rascals, the first known professional all-ukulele acting Eddie began to teach "ukulele.
2006 "Ukulele Hall of Fame Inductee Herb Ohta Senior, also known at Ohta-San, was mentored by Eddie. Kamae was introduced to Gabby Pahinui in 1959, and the slack key virtuoso demonstrated a new way to make the "ukuleke "talk story".
Eddie himself would come to be known for his inventive methods of plucking all four strings simultaneously, playing the chords and melody at the same time.
Eddie began to feel a growing need to teach the Hawaiian culture through music, to pass it along to succeeding generations. Eddie began to chart a new course with his arts His 1971 initial meeting with Hawaiian poet Sam Li"a Kalainaina Junior. resulted in Kamae"s first documentary in 1988, LI"A: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Manitoba
Together, Kamae and Li"a wrote Hawaii Pia Valley Song.
Eddie has also produced the documentaries The Hawaiian Way The Art and Tradition of Slack Key Music (1993) The History of the (2004), Words, Earth & Aloha: Source of Hawaiian Music (2005), Keepers of the Flame (2005) Lahaina: Waves of Change (2007).
