Tag Archives: Fred Kelly thumbpicks

Punahele – Ray Kane Slack Key Cover (Longer Version)

Here is another, slightly longer version I recorded of the classic Ray Kane slack key song “Punahele.”  According to the Dancing Cat liner notes, Punahele (“favorite” or “pet”) came to Ray “one night in 1938 at Zablan’s Beach in Nanakuli. ‘Back in those days there were no cars, it was pitch black. So I sit there in the dark in the nice cool breeze and I hear the waves bouncing on the sand and see the moonlight flicker on the water. It inspired me, something so nice. So mellow. That’s what gave me my inspiration.’”  Hope you enjoy.