George Kahumoku Jr.’s Slack Key Show – Masters of Hawaiian Music is celebrating its 19th Anniversary with a special concert on Oct. 19.

NAPILI — From its inception in 2003, George Kahumoku Jr.’s Slack Key Show – Masters of Hawaiian Music has been presenting award-winning talent every Wednesday night. The mission of the founders was to present authentic Hawaiian music on a weekly basis in a dignified concert setting.

On Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m., the 19th Anniversary Show will feature guest artist Kevin Brown, a traditional slack key guitarist and vocalist. He will bring a wonderful lap steel player to accompany him.

George Kahumoku Jr. and his Ohana musicians will also perform with the lovely Wainani dancing hula. Swag bags with Dancing Cat Records CDs and other goodies will be offered as gifts to each ticket holder.

The show currently works with a small staff of seven: George Kahumoku Jr., the musical host of the show; Nancy Kahumoku, the behind-the-scenes manager and booking agent; Peter deAquino, the musical co-host; Sterling Seaton, sound manager and musician; Max Angel and JJ Jerome, sound technicians and musicians; and Wainani Kealoha, will-call greeter and hula dancer.

The original founders are George Kahumoku Jr., Wayne Wong and Paul Konwiser, who developed the idea together when George was on sabbatical in California.

Why was it that slack key guitarists could play performing arts centers on the Mainland, but back in Hawaii had no regular concert venue? Dancing Cat Records, under the leadership of Windham Hill artist George Winston, was recording many of the Hawaiian guitarists and showcasing them in major performing arts centers on the Mainland where, up until then, slack key was largely unknown.

Two years later, the “Best Hawaiian Album” category was introduced at the Grammy Awards, and slack key guitar won most of the years it existed, including four years when the Slack Key Show won with compilation albums recorded live from their stage.

In its 19 years, the show has weathered economic storms, including the COVID-19 shutdown, at which time a Virtual Zoom Show began.

Peter deAquino, who has been at the show for all 19 years, recounts on stage how, in 2020, playing to the cameras in an empty room was so hard compared to playing to a live audience, who lights up, smiles, laughs and applauds. There really is a strong symbiotic relationship between artists and a live audience.

The show starts at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) in Napili Kai Beach Resort’s Aloha Pavilion. For tickets, visit https://SlackKeyShow.com or call (808) 669-3858.