Harry Kalapana

Harry Kalapana was born in the early 1930s in the Balkans -- an unlikely place to learn Hawaiian guitar. Nonetheless, after hearing a recording of the newly popular style while in boarding school, he picked up a Yugoslavian guitar and started practicing. After seeing a young Tau Moe perform in Belgium, his pace quickened considerably to complement the inspiration. Moving to Paris allowed him further development, which eventually led to an ongoing gig in Madagascar in 1952, perhaps one of the only places less likely to embrace Hawaiian guitar than the Balkans. He spent some fo...