3 Things to Know About Gabby Pahinui’s Role on Ry Cooder’s Chicken Skin Music

Gabby Pahinui was a slack-key guitar legend He was one of the most influential figures in Hawaiian slack-key guitar, a fingerstyle technique that uses open tunings.

He and guitarist Atta Isaacs contributed to the album Both musicians brought authentic Hawaiian slack-key playing to Ry Cooder’s 1976 album Chicken Skin Music.

Their contributions helped blend Hawaiian and American roots music The album mixed Hawaiian slack-key with Tex-Mex and folk, showcasing Pahinui’s style to a wider mainland audience.