Ledward Kaapana loves playing music so much that he has been known to pull out his slack key guitar while waiting for a plane at the airport. The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning musician, who can also sing falsetto and play ʻukulele, has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Chet Atkins, Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas, among others, according to the National Endowment for the Arts.
“I love traveling all over the world,” he told Aloha State Daily, just before his performance at the Maui Music & Food Experience on Aug. 15. “That's why I love music. It takes me all over the world, and I meet a lot of people. Every time I travel, I always get my guitar with me, and I always play down at the airport. So, I’m in the airport. I’m playing music and everybody is clapping. They all happy.”
Afterwards, people often come up to thank him, he said. Kaapana also plays at hospitals.
On Saturday, Aug. 23, Kaapana will be a featured artist for another benefit — this time for the Waikīkī Aquarium — when he performs at the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, Waikīkī Style. Admission for kamaʻāina is $10. Children 12 years older and younger can attend for free.
The previous week, he was the opening act for the Maui Music & Food Experience, which benefits the Hua Momona Foundation. The performances took place outdoors Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 on the lawn overlooking the ocean at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. Attendees of the event could hear the waves rolling in between sets while they enjoyed cocktails and farm-to-table food from local chefs. The event raised $200,000 for the Hua Momona Foundation to “provide food for those in need, accelerate the Lahaina rebuild, and cultivate a new West Maui youth music program,” according to its website.
Tavana was one of the featured performers. He played music and sang on Saturday, Aug. 16, which was second day of the Maui Music & Food Experience. (J. Anthony Martinez) 
Paula Fuga performed "Too Hot Mama," among other songs, at the Maui Music & Food Experience on Friday, Aug. 15. (J. Anthony Martinez) 
Chef Zach Laidlaw, the executive chef and vice president of experiences at Hua Momona Farms, prepared this dish featuring ahi and mango. (J. Anthony Martinez) 
Kanekoa was one of the featured acts on Friday, Aug. 15, which was the first day of the Maui Music & Food Experience. (J. Anthony Martinez)
On his Spotify account, the song “Radio Hula” has more than 2.2 million streams, while “Slack Key Lullabye” has more than 6.2 million streams. Today, Kaapana travels all over the world from Germany and Japan.
“When I was growing up, I never thought I was going to be an entertainer,” he said. “But when we got paid, that’s where it started.”
Kaapana grew up with no electricity in Kalapana on Hawaiʻi Island. The family fished.
“The ocean was like our refrigerator,” he said. “The mountain is where we get our meat, our food. And we raised a lot of cattle and horses and chickens and dogs and pigs.”
When he was not working, he played music.
“Music was mostly on the weekend,” Kaapana said. “Fridays and Saturdays, sometimes Sundays too. That's why we couldn't wait to wait for Fridays.”
Learn more about the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, Waikīkī Style.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
