When it comes to music, I am 110% stuck in the 70s, and I am more than okay with that. I listened to a ton of radio growing up and couldn’t get enough of the Eagles, Gerry Rafferty, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire. When I wasn’t listening to radio, I was spinning my mom’s collection of vinyl records which included Carole King, Engelbert Humperdink and Barry White.
Then there were the local albums: Kalapana, Country Comfort, Cecilio & Kapono and the iconic Sons of Hawaii. I pause here to give Gabby “Pops” Pahinui, Joe Marshall, David “Feet” Rogers and Eddie Kamae, the original foursome, the respect they earned. We had several of their albums, including their very first one, Gabby Pahinui with The Sons of Hawaii, released in 1961. The one I remember playing the most came out in 1973, featuring Uncle Eddie and the group wearing red and white palaka shirts, denim overalls and Ivy flat caps. Vintage. Iconic. An instant classic.
Those palaka shirts weren’t just a fashion choice. In the 70s, The Sons of Hawaii stepped on stage in blue and red palaka to honor and connect their music to plantation labor, long workdays and a deep relationship with the ʻāina. Over time, palaka became a symbol of their authenticity, an unspoken signal that this was honest Hawaiian music rooted in the lives and traditions of the people.
Please join us on the next Home is Here on February 25 as we take a look back at the history of the beloved palaka, rice bag fashion and much more. It will be a trip back to the 70s. Be careful, you may get stuck there.