For many visitors to Hawaii, it was the idyllic, ukulele and steel-guitar music of early Hawaiian entertainers and later the romantic songs of some of Hawaii’s famous crooners that attracted them to the islands and helped them recall fond memories of their visit.
Today residents and visitors have the opportunity to see images of some of Hawaii’s music legends and learn more about them.
The Hawaiian Music Walk of Fame honors Alice Namakelua, Chick Daniels, Hilo Hattie, Alfred Apaka, Gabby Pahinui, Don Ho and Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole. It features images, biographies and plaques of the legends on the wall outside Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant at 2500 Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki and on the sidewalk fronting the restaurant.
Wall-mounted QR codes give complete biographies in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Bronze plaques on the sidewalk provide minibiographies.
The Walk of Fame is the brainchild of Margaret Bukatz, who lives in the Foster Towers condominium above the restaurant.
Bukatz said the building was constructed in the 1960s around some palm trees that the developer wanted to preserve. The trees poked through the roof of what is now the restaurant. When the trees died about 10 years ago, there was a debate over what should take their place.
“Several people went to the city to present alternative ideas, and this one they liked. I proposed it to the office of Planning and Permitting,” Bukatz said.
Over the next nearly six years, Bukatz spent her own time and money making her vision a reality. First was coming up with a list of honorees, which she did with the help of people involved in Hawaiian music.
“And then I had to secure licensing agreements with all of the families and get everything done in the proper way,” she said.
Friends and family members of the honored musicians participated Sunday in the dedication and blessing ceremony of the Walk of Fame.
Pualani Daniels said her grandfather Chick Daniels and the other musicians embodied aloha. She said he was not only a musician, he was also a Waikiki beachboy.
“For (tourists) to go down to the beach and see these men who were classic beachboys and at the same time had regular jobs. So they would come here to do this to serve the people that came,” she said.
