When it comes to Hawaiian music, one of the well-known names is George Helm, considered as one of the greatest Hawaiian falsetto vocalists.
Listening to a song, there are a few songs where a listener will question if they are listening to a man or a woman because he can reach high notes, has wonderful range and singing complex songs while playing complex guitar riffs.
But while his music will be forever remembered, George Helm is recognized more for his activism as the leader of the Protect Kaho’olawe Ohana and considered a heroic Hawaiian who fought for the smallest of the eight main volcanic island in the Hawaiian islands, Kaho’olawe and trying to speak against the U.S. government for using these native lands for bomb testing.
Unfortunately, George Helm was last seen doing what he fought for and mysteriously disappeared.
In March 7th, concerned for fellow bombing protesters Walter Ritte and Richard Sawyer (the two plus three other men were hoping to stop the Navy from bombing), Helm, along with Maui fisherman and park ranger Kimo Mitchell and water expert Billy Mitchell took a boat with two surfboards, inner tube and supplies out to the deserted island of Kaho’olawe.
When they arrived, the three did not know that Ritte and Sawyer had been picked up by the military and the following day, a boat belonging to Maxwell Han from Hana was scheduled to meet the three men and take them back to Maui. The boat was sunken, as someone had removed the bilge plug out of the small Boston Whaler and so Han had to find another working boat.
The three men who realized Han didn’t come with a boat and the two men couldn’t be found decided to return to Maui with a long board, a short board and a pair of fins between them. But the weather was extremely bad with high winds, small craft warnings and pounding waves on the shoreline. Helm was injured with a gash to his head and the three men knew they aren’t going to reach Maui.
It was decided that Billy Mitchell was going to take the long board and head back to Kaho’olawe to get help, while the men were last seen near a tiny cresent-shaped islet of Molokini.
It took Mitchell most of the day to get to shore and walk across the island and wasn’t able to get help until March 8th to notify the military. Mitchell was airlifted by the Marines out of Kaho’olawe and the Coast Guard was notified to do a rescue operation.
After hearing that Helm and Kimo Mitchell were missing, the Helm and Mitchell family went to Maui and did their own search.
Adolph Helm traveled to Kaho’olawe and once on shore, believed he found Ritte and Sawyer’s camp but not wanting to be picked up by the Navy, he started to swim back to Maui very early in the morning and as he crossed the channel, two akule approached him and swam close to him and swam by his side. To this day, Adolph Helm believes it was his brother and Kimo taking care of him.
The military called off their search on March 11th and nearly 13 years later, President George halted the bombing in 1990 and the island was transferred back to the state in 1994. By 2004, the Navy completed a $460 million cleanup of the island and withdrew its last personnel.
George Helms and his friends efforts to stop the bombing and have the island returned to Hawai’i was finally realized.
In addition, because of the aloha ‘aina movement, it has led to the next generations to protect their land and their tradition. And as for Kaho’olawe, many work to make sure the island stays as a cultural reserve and is untouched by development.
George Helm had said, “Without the ‘aina (the land) and without aloha ‘aina (love for the land), we have nothing”.
So, George Helm will be a man forever remembered by his activism and his music and his music is believed to open the doors for the Hawaiian movement. In fact, for Helm, when meeting with kupuna (elders) who spoke in Hawaiian, he would play the ukulele and singing in Hawaiian and would open up key dialogue with the kupuna who supported Helm and fellow activists.
The songs are collected in “The Music of George Helm – A True Hawaiian” featuring 24 tracks singing in a variety of ranges, in English and Hawaiian and of course hearing his famous falsetto singing voice and his Molokai stroke guitar style.
The album was recorded in 1977 (this was the same year which Helm went missing and was presumed dead) at the time he performed at Gold Coin Restaurant in Honolulu and restaurant owner, Richard Wong, taped his performances.
After Helm was declared dead, Wong brought Helm’s electric bass player, Steve Mai’i, into the studio where he would play the bass lines underneath Helm’s guitar (which was high in treble). The album was released two months after Helm went missing and 25,000 copies sold overnight, making it a very successful bootleg CD, which unfortunately, his family never earned a penny.
There was no contract between Helms and Wong but producer Michael Cord bought the copyright from Wong and later reissued the album on CD and agreed to pay the Helm family royalties on all subsequent sales.
The album is quite amazing because you can listen to each track and not know that it’s sung by George Helm. That is what is so incredible about his voice.
The album would go on to win a Na Hoku Hanohano Award
I was turned on to the music of George Helm while studying about Queen Lili’uokalani and her compositions and read about her song “Ku’u Pua I Paoakalani”.
While the Queen was imprisoned in the ‘Iolani Palace, she wrote about her garden in Paoaokalani and a tribute to John Wilson. Wilson was a loyal haole supporter (who’s mom Evelyn with to voluntary imprisonment with the Queen), would bring her flowers from the garden which was rapped win newspaper, in order for the Queen to read the news which was prohibited during her imprisonment.
Considered a complex song to sing because of range, timing and breath control, George Helm’s live version is one of the most famous renditions of the song and is featured on this album.
It’s important to note that Helm’s music were not recorded in a recording studio, they were recorded with minimal technology at a local bar and were played on Hawaiian music station.
But to this day, these remastered songs are considered as one of the most powerful expressions of the Hawaiian soul.
I absolutely love listening to this album to hear Helm’s vocal range, beautiful vocals and guitar playing and each song is wonderful to listen to. No weak tracks at all.
It’s important to note that the CD-version is hard to find and thus it’s sold for a high price, but I recommend purchasing George Helm’s “The Music of George Helm – A True Hawaiian” on digital as you can get all 24 tracks for under $6!
For the price, for awesome Hawaiian music from the talented George Helm, I highly recommend this album!
