Today would've been Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's 61st birthday. Here's the story of how he redefined a classic — in just one take. (From our archive)
The late Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful WorldHis version of"Over the Rainbow" has the poignancy of Judy Garland's and the shimmering vulnerability, but these days it's heard so often on TV and in the movies, a younger generation may only know Israel's version. It's become so popular, it is now the most requested version of the song by far, according to music publishing house EMI.
Israel was the group's standout — for his voice and also his size. Both he and Skippy weighed hundreds of pounds — the girth of sumo wrestlers. Israel was over 6 feet tall with flowing black hair.It began at 3 in the morning. Milan Bertosa was at the end of a long day in his Honolulu recording studio.
"Israel was really sparkly, really alive," recalls de Mello after hearing the recording."He had a grand heart attack in 1989, so this was right before his heart attack." De Mello put"Over the Rainbow" on"There's been a bunch of articles written about 'Over the Rainbow,'"says Bertosa."He gets the lyrics wrong, he changes the melody.
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