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You Kuuipo rated No.
46 of Hawaii's 50 all time songs!
Gilbert Belmudez, was cited in the
June 2007 issue of Honolulu
Magazine (see No. 46) for the lyrics to the song, “You Kuuipo”.
His contribution is listed as No. 46 of the “50 Greatest Songs of
Hawaii” as
chosen in Hawaii by a special panel of musicians, historians and
producers.
Born in Southern California, Gilbert lived on the
island of Maui in the
1980’s where he originally wrote the lyrics later to be published
as a
song in 1991. The song has been recorded by Willie "K" Kahaialii,
Glenn
Medeiros, and the Cazimero Brothers. It was included in the
album, “Amy and Willie Live”, a 2005 Grammy
Award nominee for “Best Hawaiian Music Album” of the
year. CLICK
HERE to
learn
more
about the
lyrics and the story
behind them.
ISLAND
MAGIC – The Story
©
2007 Gilbert Belmudez
(Note: Regard this
true story as a rough draft.
If
there are some inaccuracies in Hawaiian
spelling, geographical description, legend, custom or any other
details, feel
free to contact me at TSWilliam Publisher, PO Box 1752, Pomona, CA
91768.
The
Beginning
I was thirty years old when,
for the first time, I landed in Hawaii on April Fools Day,
1980. I had no place
to stay,
no job prospect and I knew no one. Knowing little about Hawaii, from the very moment I arrived at
Honolulu Airport I was mesmerized by the beauty and confused with
an uncertainty
as to
what I should do. I had no bank account, no credit cards and only
about two hundred dollars to live on.
My luggage consisted of a full duffle bag,
sleeping bag and a Mexican blanket. I walked through the airport
and stopped at an airport locker where I took off my boots, put on my
flip-flops and put my dufflebag in an locker I rented for two weeks.
Into the sleeping bag I rolled up the
barest of
necessities such as toiletries, shorts, a towel, one change of clothing
and the Mexican blanket.
With the sleeping bag over my shoulder I
walked out into the most beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds I
had ever seen. The air was crisp with a light fragrance of
tropical flowers. Asking a few questions it wasn't hard to find
the bus area outside the airport and I boarded a bus marked "Honolulu /
Waikiki."
It is hard to remember exactly what
I saw as the bus traveled along a coastal highway but in general
my observations were that of swaying palm trees, green hillsides and a
coast filled with the colors of dark lava, white sand and blue
waves sparkling with glints of sunlight..
continue
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Gilbert Belmudez on Maui - 1984
Contact:
gilbertbelmudez@yahoo.com
TSWilliam Publisher
PO Box 1752
Pomona, California 91768
YOU KUUIPO
Written as an aloha to the Hawaiian Islands and dedicated
to the memory of Eleanor
Makepa Fojas Stewart. Read the words to You Kuuipo as they
were intended.
YOU KUUIPO.
CHILDREN
OF EDEN
©® 2008 Gilbert P. Belmudez & Salvador Torres. All
rights reserved.
Co-written by Gilbert Belmudez and Salvador Torres.
There are lyrics but this is a simple
melody version. Children of
Eden mp3
"In Sandy Hills". A poem
dedicated to an old friend who died in
Vietnam in 1968. Timothy Patrick Weaver. read more
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