The Sons of Hawaii: The Folk Music of Hawaii hit the shelves in December 1971. It debuted at the upscale Liberty House department store in Ala Moana Center, where hundreds of fans came to hear the band perform. The album acquired its unofficial name, “Five Faces,” from Kane’s luminescent cover portraits of the band members. The last record to feature the Sons’ original members, it remains one of the most highly regarded albums in the genre. Through the Sons’ attention to detail and unmatched virtuosity, The Folk Music of Hawaii not only preserved the old Hawaiian songs, but made them anthems for a new generation.
And none of it might have happened without Maui onions and Hawai‘i’s favorite brew: Primo Beer.
Hoping to secure a corporate underwriter for the album, Kane and book publisher Bob Goodman traveled to Milwaukee to meet with Ralph Gibson, marketing director of the Schlitz Brewing Company, which owned Primo Beer.
“When we walked into Gibson’s office, I saw a big box of Maui onions,” Kane recalled in Kamae’s autobiography, Native Son. “I knew Ralph was a gourmet, the kind of guy who, once he had tasted a Maui onion, would have them flown in. I saw that box and knew we had a winner.” Schlitz agreed to sponsor the record, and the project was a go.
Many of the people behind “Five Faces” went on to found the Polynesian Voyaging Society. The Sons of Hawaii (minus Pahinui) performed at the launch of the Hōkule‘a, the Society’s historic ocean-crossing canoe. Therefore, it can be said that a box of Maui onions helped both the album and the Hōkule‘a set sail!
