MUSICIAN

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

1959 - 1997

Photo of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

Icon of person Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kəˌmɐkəˌvivoˈʔole]; meaning 'the fearless eye, the bold face'; May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Bruddah Iz or just simply IZ, was a Hawaiian musician, singer, songwriter, and Hawaiian sovereignty activist.He achieved commercial success outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" was released on his albums Ka ʻAnoʻi and Facing Future, and was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and television commercials. Along with his ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres, such as jazz and reggae, Kamakawiwoʻole remains influential in Hawaiian music, and is seen by many as the best Hawaiian musician of all time. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole has received more than 10,240,753 page views. His biography is available in 54 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 52 in 2019). Israel Kamakawiwoʻole is the 217th most popular musician (down from 134th in 2019), the 1,244th most popular biography from United States (down from 769th in 2019) and the 59th most popular American Musician.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole is most famous for his album "Facing Future" and his medley of "What a Wonderful World" and "Over the Rainbow."

Memorability Metrics

  • 10M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 69.56

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 54

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.61

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.11

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Israel Kamakawiwoʻoles by language


Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole ranks 217 out of 2,675. Before him are Joni Mitchell, Bernard Haitink, Maria Theresia von Paradis, Romano Mussolini, Lucio Dalla, and Mauro Giuliani. After him are Eddie Cochran, Fats Domino, Klaus Nomi, Ike Turner, Art Blakey, and Peter Tosh.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1959, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole ranks 22. Before him are Bryan Adams, Ken Watanabe, Simon Cowell, Mike Pence, Sarah, Duchess of York, and Bernd Schuster. After him are Gerhard Berger, Val Kilmer, Kyle MacLachlan, Mauricio Macri, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Frank Darabont. Among people deceased in 1997, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole ranks 51. Before him are Chaim Herzog, Marco Ferreri, Georg Solti, Stéphane Grappelli, Carl Gustav Hempel, and John Kendrew. After him are Bulat Okudzhava, Louis, Prince Napoléon, Narciso Yepes, Masaru Ibuka, Gerda Christian, and Miguel Najdorf.

Others Born in 1959

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Others Deceased in 1997

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole ranks 1,244 out of 15,968. Before him are Stan Smith (1946), Louis Ignarro (1941), Valerie Solanas (1936), Jennifer Jones (1919), Dr. Dre (1965), and Scottie Pippen (1965). After him are Virginia Henderson (1897), Trini Lopez (1937), Robert Sheckley (1928), James Garner (1928), Marshall Rosenberg (1934), and Stanford Moore (1913).

Others born in United States

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole ranks 59. Before him are Lionel Richie (1949), Pete Seeger (1919), Alicia Keys (1981), J. J. Cale (1938), Joe Jackson (1928), and Joe Satriani (1956). After him are Eddie Cochran (1938), Fats Domino (1928), Ike Turner (1931), Art Blakey (1919), Count Basie (1904), and Duff McKagan (1964).

American born Musicians

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