Fred Kamaka Sr.
Sons of ʻukulele maker Samuel Kamaka Sr., Sam Kamaka Jr. and Fred Kamaka Sr. grew up in the ʻukulele business. From helping their father as children in the 1920s to watching over a company now run by their children, the Kamaka brothers were involved in the manufacture of fine ʻukulele for a remarkable ten decades. After his father's death in 1953, Fred became a business partner to his brother, and was the business manager at Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. when Kamaka was the only major manufacturer of quality ʻukulele in the world. Sam and Fred also ensured the company's long-term success by passing their skills and knowledge along to their children, who today run the modernized company.
Fred Kamaka Sr. was born in 1924 in Honolulu, the second son of Samuel Kamaka Sr. Both Fred and his brother Sam Jr. grew up learning the craft of ʻukulele making from their father, who had them report to the factory every day after school. Their mother, meanwhile, sent them to hula halau to learn the art of hula — a fitting dual education for the guardians of Hawaii's most Hawaiian instrument.
After the brothers returned from military service and college, they took over Kamaka and Sons following their father's death in 1953. Fred took on the role of business manager, while Sam Jr. served as the master luthier. Together they moved the factory to 550 South Street in Downtown Honolulu in 1959 and reorganized as Kamaka Hawaii, Incorporated in 1968.
During the decades when mainland manufacturers dominated the ʻukulele market with inexpensive instruments, Fred and Sam kept Kamaka alive as the sole major Hawaiian ʻukulele maker — insisting on the quality that had defined the brand since their father's day. Their leadership positioned Kamaka perfectly to benefit from the global ʻukulele revival of the 1990s and 2000s.
Fred and Sam ensured the company's long-term success by passing their skills and knowledge to their children, who today run the modernized company. The family motto, handed down from Samuel Sr., remains as true as ever: "If you use the Family Name, DON'T MAKE JUNK."