Sonny Chillingworth

To understand exactly how the gentle, ploink-a-plunk sounds of slack-key guitar manage to remain popular in the days of electronic music and beat-heavy hip-hop, one needs to understand the influence of artists such as Sonny Chillingworth. He grew up among Big Island paniolos (cowboys) and old-school slack-key guitar players. When he moved out of ranch country and into the big city in his late teens, he managed to bring the music of the old days along with him. It was to be his defining characteristic, as well as his legacy to future musicians of Hawaii. Chillingworth got his ...