The year 2001 marked Led Ka'apana's thirty-eighth year as a professional musician. In that time, Led's hard work and easy-going attitude have made him one of Hawai'i's most beloved traditional musicians. A master of slack key guitar (so named for the alternate tuning, slacking, of the strings, or keys), Led is also accomplished on 'ukulele, autoharp, bass and steel guitar. He is a fine baritone and falsetto singer as well. Perhaps most importantly, the man known affectionately as lima wela (hot hand) blends his virtuosity with an infectous joy for performing, a generous spirit, and rascally sense of humor. Born in 1948, Led grew up in a very musical family in the tiny village of Kalapana on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Constantly surrounded by music-making, Led learned to play by watching, listening, and imitating. Encouraged by his elders, disciplined about practicing, and inspired by his mother, singer Tina Ka'apana, and his uncle, legendary slack key player Fred Punahoa, he developed a seemingly inexhaustible ability to improvise. He also absorbed outside influences of country, jazz, latin and even rock n' roll that he would occasionally sneak into his music. In 1977, Led formed Hui 'Ohana with his twin brother Ned and cousin Dennis Pavao. Through fourteen best-selling albums and countless live appearances, they proudly maintained Kalapana's musical traditions. Since then, Led's solo work, his series of duets with steel guitar master Bob Brozman, and his collaborations with artists such as Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, and Alison Krauss, have established him as one of Hawai'i's foremost musical ambassadors.