Kimo Hussey News Today

Master instrument builder John S. Kinnard one of 6 in the world building identical ukes

Hundreds gathered on Sunday afternoon in Waikiki for the Hawaii Ukulele Festival. Held at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand, the event featured several performers of the signature 4-stringed instrument.

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Folks gathered at Kapiolani Park for a day of celebrating the ukulele on Sunday, July 23. Performances from well-known artists took over the bandstand for the audience to sit and listen while enjoying ono foods made by local businesses. Other vendors included arts and crafts from jewelry to handmade ukuleles and even […]

The festival came about after Roy Sakuma announced in 2022 that he was retiring after 52 years as the founder and producer of the Ukulele Festival Hawaii.

Founder David Blake joined HNN’s Sunrise Weekends to talk about a special fundraising dinner and concert on Sunday, April 30, called “E Kani Ka Pila!” at Cafe Julia, 1040 Richards Street in downtown Honolulu, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Everybody loves Kimo. Five minutes into an hour-long phone interview, Honolulu-based uke master Kimo Hussey is calling me “buddy,” and I feel like I’ve known him for years. OK, I hear from reliable sources he calls everybody “buddy,” but his friendliness is real, and so is the relaxed but engaging personality that comes across so well on his many popular ukulele instructional videos on YouTube. I asked around, and heard nothing but gushing praise for the unassuming 75-year old—both ...