George came of age in the 1970s, an era sometimes referred to as the Hawaiian Renaissance due to the wide-ranging revival of traditional culture. Countless kupuna (elders) at the height of their powers performed and shared their mana‘o (knowledge) publicly – often for the first time. George visited with and learned from legendary figures such as Ray Kane, Sonny Chillingworth, Leonard Kwan, Gabby Pahinui, Atta Isaacs, Aunty Alice Namakelua, Tommy Solomon, Uncle Fred Punahou, Papa Kauhi, and others. Because of these influences, George has been successful in blending the older, traditional ways of playing, with modern improvisational stylings. "That was a real rare opportunity to be with those old masters," he says. "The expressions and the feelings that they get when they play, you can see it on their faces. They smile ‘cause they feel the vibration, the ona (bliss). It goes throughout the body and moves the spirit. To me that’s what the enjoyment is about right there. I still like to be with the old folks as much as I can. If I ever run into any old timers who tell me they play slack key, I always encourage them because once they go, pau (the end), you can’t hear that anymore."

Through high school and college, George continued jamming, playing at local clubs, and studying with the masters. He acquired a large repertoire of standards and originals, to which he continues to add today. In 1979 George won a slack key guitar contest at the Waikiki Shell. This brought him to the attention of a wider audience and launched his performing career. He formed the group Kipapa Rush Band with a number of friends, including slack key guitarist Wayne Reis, a nephew of Atta Isaacs. In addition to slack key, the group featured steel guitar, reflecting the revival of interest among the young in this Hawaiian innovation.

George’s renown as a slack key guitarist and ensemble player attracted the interest of ‘ukulele master and Hawaiian folklorist Eddie Kamae, who asked George to join his group The Sons of Hawai‘i in 1986. George considers his association with The Sons a great honor. One highlight of performing with the group was playing on the "Prairie Home Companion Show" with guitar master and slack key fan Chet Atkins.

George has enjoyed Eddie Kamae’s style as a bandleader. "He’s not one to tell anybody in the group what to do," George says. "He just says, ‘let’s go and play and have fun,’ and we go. It’s not a rehearsed thing. We don’t talk about a lot of that stuff, we communicate it through playing."  

A lot of George’s ideas come from playing with others. He helped start O‘ahu’s annual Gabby Pahinui-Atta Isaacs Slack Key Festival, at which he performs every year. He was also a regular cast member on the weekly nationally syndicated radio show "Hawai‘i Calls," a rebirth of one of the most popular radio programs in history, which first aired in 1935. Today, George tours often throughout Hawai‘i and elsewhere, performing solo, in duets with slack key guitarist and composer Reverend Dennis Kamakahi, as well with the Sons of Hawai‘i.

George also enjoys playing slack key by himself to relax after work. "I play a lot outside on my porch at night," he says. "The nicest time for slack key is aumoe (late at night); everything is quiet and calm and the spirit of slack key is coming out. You can hear the spirit of all the ancestors."

George  can be reached  via e-mail at keoki@hgea.org , or   by  phone at (808) 737-8009.