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Eric Madis
Slack Key Guitarist
Eric began playing guitar in the early 1960s, while growing up in the high plains of central Colorado. His musical journey has led him all around the US, from the folk coffeehouses and blues clubs of Chicago, to the honky-tonks of Texas, to concert stages in many major metropolitan areas.
Eric began experimenting with alternate tunings on the guitar around 1970, influenced by the work of Leo Kotke, Steven Stills and blues bottleneck slide players, such as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. It was at that time that Eric's curiosity led him to the work of Hawaiian slack key stylists, such as Gabby Pahinui and Raymond Kane.
Eric and his wife Eileen, a professional hula dancer, have been members of the Hawaiian music and dance community of the Pacific Northwest for years. Eric led the band The Big Kahunas from 1986-1997. He also played lead guitar with Hula Northwest and with the great Farden family of Hawaii, including Kekua Fernandes, Irmgaard Aluli, and Emma Sharpe, in their last mainland concert series in 1990. He has published articles on Hawaiian music and contributed two chapters to Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians.
Eric currently performs regularly throughout the Pacific Northwest. He is on the faculty of the National Guitar Workshop and also teaches slack key guitar workshops at Dusty Strings and the Northwest Folklife Festival.
"..a fine guitarist who also knows a thing or two about Hawaiian slack key"
- Paul Debarros, Seattle Times
"Acoustic guitar virtuoso...plays delta blues with award-winning authority and Hawaiian slack key numbers for variety"
- Magnolia Summer Festival
"..very versatile and polished...a diverse style with excellent guitar work and vocals"
- Latona Pub News
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