James Daniel ‘Bla’ Pahinui is the second son of the man who sang the story of our lives, Philip ‘Pops’ ‘Gabby’ Pahinui. Bla’s appreciation for Hawaiian music came early, but so did a love for the rhythm and blues, honky tonk, the Beatles and the Stones, the music his dad loved to hear. At the age of ten, Bla took a two-by-four, pounded nails in, top and bottom, stretched fishing line between and made music. Gabby gave Bla a Martin tenor ‘ukulele and showed him how to bring a story out of the strings. Guitar came later and stayed. Being a lefty, he learned to play upside down and backwards, creating his unique sound.