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Cecilio & Kapono Emerald Queen Casino I-5 8:30 p.m. september 27

Hawaiian duo makes waves in Northwest

By Tribal News Writers

The Cecilio & Kapono story began under a starry night on Oahu’s North Shore in February 1973. While on a break from touring with Little Anthony and the Imperials, Cecilio Rodriguez flew to Hawaii to meet Henry Kapono, who had a very similar style to his own and with whom, it was thought, he could form a group. All the components were there: breathing, intonation, blend, and their own individual guitar styles, each complementing the other in a magical way.

At that moment the duo Cecilio & Kapono was born. They went on to become one of the top musical acts to come out of Hawaii. It was only a matter of time before they came to the attention of Columbia Records and were soon signed to a multi-album deal. They recorded albums entitled “Cecilio & Kapono,” “Elua” and “The Nightmusic,” all of which became top-selling albums. Their third album alone garnered five prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.

Henry Kapono Ka’aihue was born and raised in Kapahulu, located just outside Waikiki. Christened Kapono by his mother, it is the Hawaiian word for righteous. His family surroundings provided the early musical influence that directed him into his present career. He is a humanitarian, a prolific award winning songwriter, an accomplished actor and has produced numerous albums, video works and concerts.

Henry Kapono started singing in a choir and the first instrument he learned to play was the ukulele followed by the acoustic guitar, which he learned to play by listening to the radio and records. His natural athletic abilities earned him full scholarships to Punahou Academy and later, the University of Hawaii.

He began his professional career as a young solo performer, singing and playing the guitar in a small folk club in Waikiki. This led to a short stint playing rock with a local island group called Pakalolo. The group played the islands and toured Asia, where he chose to spend the next two years in Vietnam entertaining the troops. This experience profoundly affected his music and his appreciation of life.

Cecilio Rodriguez was born and raised in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he received the majority of his musical education. After forming a band and performing during high school and college, Cecilio Rodriguez moved to Los Angeles to advance his musical career. There, he had a fateful meeting with Anthony Gourdine of Little Anthony and the Imperials, and soon after was traveling with them as their guitarist and musical director. It soon became apparent to Anthony Gourdine that Cecilio Rodriguez was much more than a guitarist on stage, and so began a long line of performances as the opening act for Little Anthony and the Imperials.

Cecilio Rodriguez has made a mark of his own as a charming, personable and talented performer who can take you from gales of laughter with his great sense of humor to tears with his beautiful love songs. Cecilio Rodriguez has three solo CD releases to his credit: “Maybe Tonight,” “Storybook,” and “Then…and Now.”

Today, the Cecilio & Kapono story lives on and has truly become a “Lifetime Party” for the duos, as well as their loyal, long-time fans.

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