Israel Houghton | en

Israel Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole was born May 20, 1959 to Henry (aka Tiny) KaleiAloha Naniwa Kamakwiwo`ole Jr. and Evangeline Leinani (Keale) Kamakawiwo`ole. He lived the first 10 years of his life in Palolo Valley on O'ahu. Then the family moved to Makaha. He started playing music with his older brother Skippy when he was just 11 years old. But that isn't surprising, as Israel came from a musical family. His uncle is Moe Keale, a living legend in Hawai. One day when he was 15 years old, Israel was sitting at a picnic table on Makaha Beach playing his ukulele when...

Im sitting here in my home studio about half way up the east coast of NSW, Australia... I'm trying to think of the right words to best describe myself. Let me just say that I was born in Feb 1985, A son of two musical parents & that so far I have lived a good life. I have spent the last few years traveling. Im looking for something real, something with meaning.... I write songs about the things that I have seen & the story's that beg to be told, I have played music as long as I can remember....

Dr. Israel is the current, Rastafarian incarnation of West Philadelphia's erstwhile Dug Bennett, ex Homo Picnic/Kremlin Korps. "The boundary-crossing works and collaborations of The Legendary Dr. Israel cry out like a call to revolution, embracing styles from reggae to drum 'n' bass to hard-core metal. Like Eddy Grant on a counter-cultural warpath, Dr. Israel's politically charged lyrics and diverse musical foundations deliver a refreshing blast of thought-provoking tracks that will make music fans from all walks stop and tune in. Doc's ability to represent and reprocess his influences (Black Uhuru, Black Sabbath, Bad Brains, Run DMC, Roni Size) into compelling...