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Born July 14, 1932, the eldest son of Anna K. Purdy and Edwin
Bradfield Chillingworth, slack key guitar (ki ho'alu) master
Edwin Bradfield "Sonny" Chillingworth, Jr. has, since 1949,
proven himself to be one of the greatest and most influential slack
key guitarists in Hawaiian music. His eclectic approach spans a wide
spectrum of cultural traditions outside of Hawaiian music,
incorporating elements of Portuguese fado, Puerto Rican katchi katchi,
Mainland country & western and folk, Mexican, ragtime, blues and a
bit of jazz. No matter the style, Sonny keeps his playing 'onipa'a,
firmly established, in his love for the people and heritage of
Hawai'i. He also possesses a marvelously warm and rich voice, ideally
suited for the romantic songs and paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy)
favorites he loves to sing.
Sonny's recorded legacy spans nearly forty yearssince he
made his first recording, Makee Ailana, with the late Aunty
Vikie I'i Rodrigues around 1954. He has performed with many of
Hawai'i's best loved artists, including Pops Gabby Pahinui, Maddy Lam,
Atta Isaacs, The Sons of Hawai'i, Marlene Sai, Leinaala Haili, Myra
English and many more. He appears on over thirty albums and on many
singles by other artists. The extent of his contribution to Hawaiian
music was recognized when he was awarded the Bank of Hawai'i Na Hoku
Lifetime Award for Slack Key Guitar in 1992.
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