ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWOOLE ~ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW HQ
ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWOOLE ~ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW HQ, Music Video Tribute be sure to watch Iz tribute Hawaiian Like Me www youtube com/watch?v=p6JG9lzdGN0 Israel Iz Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole May 20 1959 June 26 1997 pronounced ka maka vi vo ole was an 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 From childhood his family called Israel by his Hawaiian middle name Kaʻanoʻi the beloved one His name would later become the title name of his first solo album Kaʻanoʻi and also foretells the greatness of this cherished one It is interesting to note here that part of his name anoʻi when simplified to noʻi may be a contraction of the Hawaiian word nohi Nohi means bright colored vivid as the rainbow see Hawaiian Dictionary Pukui and Elbert Nohi rainbow beloved one and cherished one are powerful symbols in his life Izs recording of the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow would become renowned throughout the world and continues to garner high acclaim The song has come to be known as Izʻs signature song the most renowned of all his songs Kamakawiwo`ole 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 Israels recording of Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World reached #12 on Billboards Hot Digital Tracks chart the week of 1/31/04 for the survey week ending 1/18/04 possibly due to its use in the Adam Sandler film 50 First Dates and the Brad Pitt film Meet Joe Black In 2006 a version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow in an arrangement based on Iz was performed by The Worthless Peons in My Way Home the 100th episode of Scrubs over the closing montage A recording of the same song by Iz was used in the closing scenes of the final episode of Life on Mars TV Series It is also a featured song in the movie Finding Forrester In 2002 the song was used to powerful effect in the closing scenes of Anthony Edwards last appearance in ER as Dr Mark Greene in the episode On the Beach On week 8 of American Idol season 7 Jason Castro performed his own version of this song except that he left out the What a Wonderful World line but still gave credit to Israel for the song DEATH: Throughout the later part of his life Iz was obese and at one point carried 758 pounds 344 kg on his 6 feet 2 inches 1 9 m frame He endured several hospitalizations and died of weight related respiratory illness on June 26 1997 at 12:18 am at the age of 38 The Hawaiʻi State Flag flew at half staff on July 10 1997 the day of Izs funeral His koa wood coffin lay in state at the Capitol building in Honolulu He was the third person in Hawaiian history to be accorded this honor the other two were Governor John A Burns and Senator Spark Matsunaga and the only non politician Over 10000 people attended his funeral Thousands of fans gathered and cheered as his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at Mākua Beach on July 12 1997 On September 20 2003 hundreds paid tribute to Iz as a 200 pound bronze bust of the revered singer was unveiled at the Waianae Neighborhood Community Center on Oahu The singers widow Marlene Kamakawiwoole and sculptor Jan Michelle Sawyer were present for the dedication ceremony