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Rupert Tripp Jr. is a self-taught guitarist, singer, songwriter who’s been performing since the age of 9. He was the featured singer in the family band “The Tripping Hawaiiansâ€. Singing and playing the drums that his sister bought for him at age 10 Rupert performed at party’s with the his siblings by his side. At the age of 12 he landed his first professional gig at Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel where he was the featured singer. He continued singing and performing throughout high school where he was nominated to lead his classmates as music director in The Kamehameha Schools Annual Song Contest. In the mid 80’s he co-founded the popular island group Nalu! and released 3 CD’s of original songs which earned them two Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominations for “Most Promising Artist†in 1988 and “Group of the Year†in 1989. Nalu!, adorned with the exclamation mark, shared the stage with such popular artist as Bradda IZ, The Makaha Sons, The Brothers Cazimero, Loyal Garner and Kapena, just to name a few. In 1992 Rupert’s first solo album “Heart to Heart†was released and he continued on his musical journey performing live in nightclubs and in concerts throughout the state as the leader of his band RTJ and The InStep Rhythm Band. In the summer of 2003 Rupert released his first Gospel CD entitled “For an Audience of One†which earned him a nomination for Religious Album of the Year at the 2004 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. Wayne Harada of the Honolulu Advertiser writes “Tripp has a powerful voice that brings purpose and power to a collection of tunes about the Lord Almighty.†9 of the 10 songs on the CD are original compositions written by Rupert. In 2005 Rupert contributed 2 songs to the compilation CD “Hula! Big Island Style†under Palm Records. The CD won an award for best compilation album of the year at the 2005 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. That summer he released a live CD called “Live at Volcano’s Lava Rock Café.†It features some of his favorite songs written by some of the world’s greatest singer/songwriters. 2 of the 11 tracks are original compositions. Volcano's Lava Rock Cafe is where he performs as a soloist every Wednesday and Thursday. Rupert is the newest member of the guitar trio KOHALA which features Grammy Award Winner producer Charles Michael Brotman. KOHALA just completed a new CD and is scheduled to tour Japan in the summer of 2006. Working as a studio musician Rupert has performed on numerous recording projects for other artist throughout his musical career. Although primarily a soloist, Rupert calls on The InStep Rhythm Band for backup support in concerts and parties. Rupert’s wife Kahealani also performs with him as a hula dancer. Together, Rupert and his wife have performed throughout the state of Hawaii, California and Japan. You can catch Rupert’s live performances at: Volcano’s Lava Rock Café every Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30 – 8:30. Nichol’s Public House every Friday from 5:00 – 7:00. The Brown’s Beach House at The Fairmont Orchid every Sunday from 6:00 – 9:30. Also available for all occasions! For more information please call or write. RTJ Music. P.O. Box 532 Volcano, HI.96785. 808-966-7418. ruperttripp@aol.com Track List: 1. Sweet Baby James 2. Now You're Here 3. Time In A Bottle 4. Hiilawe 5. On A Coconut Island 6. Popsicle Toes 7. Steamroller Blues 8. The Dance 9. House At Pooh Corner 10. Untitled Hymn 11. Soar Above It All Suggested CDs:Other Genres: |