Musician Martin Pahinui loses battle with cancer

With bloodlines that reached to the heart of contemporary Hawaiian music, Martin Pahinui distinguished himself as a gifted vocalist and musician and a successful recording artist.

Pahinui, 65, died Sunday following a long battle with cancer.

Born and raised in Waimanalo, Pahinui was the youngest of Gabby and Emily Pahinui’s 10 children.

Nicknamed “Gramps” at an early age because of his penchant for wearing denim overalls like his elders, Pahinui was immersed in music at an early age. He mastered the basics of the ukulele by the age of 4 and picked up other instruments in the years that followed.

He was best known for his soulful singing and his skill on electric bass but could also play ki hoalu (slack key) guitar and “regular” electric guitar.

Pahinui made his first recordings in the early 1970s, performing with his father, three of his brothers and several other musicians, in a group informally known as the Gabby Band.

It was during his years with the Peter Moon Band that Pahinui became known as a soulful pop music vocalist. While brothers Bla and Cyril sang in a style similar to their father, incorporating elements of traditional oli (chant) vocalizing, Martin’s delivery was smoother and more soulful. Some fans said, approvingly, that he sang “like a popolo (African-­American).”

He earned seven Na Hoku Hanohano Awards between 1983 and 1988 during the peak of the group’s popularity and sang lead vocals on several of the group’s biggest hits, including the popular song “Flying.”

In the 1990s Pahinui joined Bla and Cyril to record as the Pahinui Brothers. He also recorded a solo album for the Mountain Apple Co., and joined slack key masters George Kuo and Dennis Kamakahi along with Kamakahi’s son David to form Hui Aloha for George Winston’s Dancing Cat label. He also performed with the Young Fascination (with Rodney Arias and Eddie Li­likoi) and Hawaiian Expressions.

When he wasn’t playing music, Pahinui enjoyed golf, fishing, fireworks and the “Star Wars” movie franchise, his family said.

In a statement released Sunday, Pahinui’s family said that he had ceased cancer treatments due to a heart condition but had “accepted his future with a growing faith and strong, supportive family.”

Pahinui is survived by wife Ruth and sons Gabby Alapaki and Martin Kale. Other survivors include his brothers James Daniel “Bla” and Cyril Lani, along with numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.