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Artist
Israel Kamakawiwo·ole
12+ albums
acousticfolk
about
Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997) (pronounced [kamakaʋiwoˈʔole]) was a Hawaiian musician. He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993 with his medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", which was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials. Kamakawiwoʻole was nicknamed "The Gentle Giant" by his admirers. He was described as always cheerful and positive, and he was best known for his love of the land and of the people of Hawaiʻi. Through his consummate ukulele playing and incorporation of other idioms (such as jazz and reggae), Iz remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music over the last 15 years. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
top songs
1
Somewhere Over the Rainbow What a Wonderful World
9922Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World
1633Somewhere Over the Rainbow
244Thomas Newman-Somewhere over the rainbow / What a wonderful world-"Meet Joe Black - OST"
145Somewhere Over the Rainbow / W
136Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World
97Over the Rainbow
78Somewhere Over The Rainbow [-ALexBULDOZER-]
69Somewhere Over the Rainbow Wha
610Hawai·i '78
4