: Facing Future - Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'ole

Big and broad, along with a gentle voice and mellow ukulele in front of his large body –
that’s Israel 'IZ' Kamakawiwo'ole in brief. Despite of selling millions of records, great
acclaim and admiration, he is still considered as an insider tip by many.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole was born into a family of musicians on the Hawaiian island of
Oahu in 1959. At the tender age of 15, he founded the band “The Mākaha Sons of
Ni`ihau” together with his brother Skippy. In 1990, after nine albums and numerous
awards, he decided to try his luck as a solo artist. His 1993 album release “Facing Future”
made him known beyond the borders of Hawaii selling more than a million copies in the
US alone – without any marketing or promotional activities. In particular his song “Over
The Rainbow” brought him many new fans. His cover version of Judy Garland’s 1939 hit
proves how little it takes to touch a lot of people:
A beautiful melody, a message and a musician with his heart in the right place presenting
this gem of pop music with passion. Israel’s version of “Over The Rainbow” is absolutely
great in its simplicity turning it into an emotional masterpiece.
Ever since, the song has been featured in several movies (e.g. “Meet Joe Black” and “50
First Dates”), has been downloaded more than 2 million times so far, and has been in the
German Amazon Top 100 for 292 days as well as being in the iTunes Top 100 for months.
Followed by four extremely successful solo albums on which Israel is able to create a
direct connection with his audience through his vocals captivating more and more people
over the years. People like Bette Midler, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Sean Connery, Drew Barrymore, Dean Koontz, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Jon Favreau,
Benny Agbayani of the New York Mets, director Martin Brest, producers John Wells and
Lalman King are amongst his well-known fans.
On June 26, 1997 Israel Kamakawiwo'ole died at the age of 38. Tens of thousands of
Hawaiians paid him their last respects, saying farewell to their “gentle giant”.