Hawaiian words. Kaapana has said that his family has always spelled it without an ʻokina and he prefers the traditional spelling (not Kaʻapana.) Quotes "Everything you play, every time you play, there's a mood, an energy. If you plug into it, the music just flows. Even in a simple song, there are so many different ways to play the melody, the rhythm, the harmony. It never stops if you stay open to it." Awards He is one of the very few Hawaiian recording artists who has received Na Hoku Hanohano Awards from the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) for work as a member of three different recording entities—as a solo artist, as a member of Ledward Kaapana & I Kona, and as a member of Hui 'Ohana. As of 2010, four of his solo albums have received Grammy Award nominations in the Best Hawaiian Music Album category. Kaapana is a recipient of the 2011 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. References External links Kihoalu.org Artist Profile 'Ukulele lessons going over Uncle Led's techniques Ledward Kaapana Interview -NAMM Oral History Library (2014) Autoharp players Native Hawaiian musicians Slack-key guitarists Steel guitarists 1948 births Living people Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners National Heritage Fellowship winners 20th-century American bass guitarists