Peter Moon

Peter Moon (August 25, 1944 – February 17, 2018) was an American ukulele and slack-key guitar player.

Career Peter Moon was born in Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu to parents of Korean and Chinese descent, Wook Moon and Shay-Yung Moon (née Zen). He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1962 and from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1968. In 1971, their first album, Guava Jam was released and became seen as the spark of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance.

After the breakup of The Sunday Manoa, the Cazimeros continued on as the Brothers Cazimero. Moon continued to be a force on the music scene co-founding Kanikapila, a two-day music festival at the University of Hawaii that ran for 25 years. Moon, however, did not return to regular performing until 1979, when his new group, The Peter Moon Band, released Tropical Storm, which garnered four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. In 1983, Moon released Cane Fire, which earned six Na Hoku Hanohano awards; Moon earning an unprecedented seventh with a Sunday Manoa anthology album. He started his own record label and distributing company, and he produced and promoted two annual festivals. In 1970 he and Ron Rosha co-founded of the Kanikapila (Hawaiian for "let's play music") festival, a celebration of Hawaiian music and dance, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They started the festival because many college-aged young people did not know many of the greats in Hawaiian music such as Gabby Pahinui. Kanikapila remained an annual event for 25 years, then was revived briefly in 2002 as Kalakoa Jam. Later, he produced the Blue Hawaiian Moonlight concerts at the Waikiki Shell, featuring prominent names in Hawaiian music.

Peter Moon was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Peter Moon is survived by his son, Peter Wook Moon.

Discography

with Sunday Manoa

Studio Meet Palani Vaughan and the Sunday Manoa (1967) Hawaiian Time (1968) Guava Jam (1969) Crack Seed (1972) Sunday Manoa 3 (1973)

Compilation Best of Sunday Manoa Vol I (1982) Best of Sunday Manoa Vol II (1982)

with Peter Moon Band

Studio Tropical Storm (1979) Malie (1980) Best of the Peter Moon Band (1981) Cane Fire (1982) Harbor Lights (1983) The Guitar Man (1988) Black Orchid (1988) Full Moon (1989) The Music Makers (1990) Heat Wave (1991) Midnight Sun (1992) Oasis (1993) Iron Mango (1994) Hoi Hou (1995) The Path (1996) Kanikapila (1997) Juicy Fruits (1998) Island Afternoon w/Dwight Kanae (1999) Island Afternoon 2 w/Dwight Kanae (2000)

Compilation Greatest Hits Collection I (1986) Greatest Hits Collection II (1988–1998) (1999)

Other albums Dance with Me (1989) Ho'i Hou (1995) Kanikapila (1998)