Sonny Chillingworth - Hi'ilawe

http://www.dancingcat.com/artists/Sonny_Chillingworth.php

"Working with Sonny was such a beautiful experience for his music, and even more, for knowing him as a person. He will always be an inspiration to me, and his music will always live on." - George Winston

Edwin Bradfield Liloa "Sonny" Chillingworth, Jr. was one of the most influential slack key guitarists in history. In a tradition that encourages individualism, his unique patterns, bass runs and vamps had a profound impact on musicians and listeners alike. In a tradition that values sincerity, his passionate playing, warm vocals and generous spirit touched the hearts of all.

Sonny's remarkable career spanned nearly half a century. It began in the late 1940s, a crucial transitional period for slack key. At that time, slack key guitarists were making their first tentative steps from family parties and front porches into recording studios and nightclubs. Through his work with older artists, such as Aunty Vickie Rodrigues and especially his mentor, Gabby Pahinui, Sonny helped shape the style's early commercial evolution and its later emergence in the 1970s as one of the leading sounds in Hawaiian music. His influence on younger performers, through recordings and teaching, also helped fuel a revival of interest in the 1980s that continues to grow. Though cut short by cancer in 1994, Sonny's art continues to bring great joy, through his many classic recordings and a wonderful set of newly released solo sessions on Dancing Cat.