One of Hawaii’s most beloved music families has lost a second member in the same week and a third this year.
Singer-songwriter Guy Cruz, who lived in Pahoa, died Thursday night, his sister, Desiree Moana Cruz, confirmed. He was 49.
Cruz, who was born Aug. 22, 1967, in San Leandro, Calif., had been ill and in hospice care. His death came just two days after his older brother, Ernie Cruz Jr. — one half of the legendary duo Ka‘au Crater Boys — died at 56 after being pulled unresponsive from the water at Oahu’s Sandy Beach. Their father, Ernie Cruz Sr., a legendary musician, pastor and patriarch of the Cruz musical dynasty, died May 14 in Arizona.
“It’s still sinking in. I can’t imagine what the family’s going through right now; I just can’t,” said ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro, who played in the band Colón with Guy Cruz, Lopaka Colón, a percussionist and Cruz’s cousin, and bassist Andrew McLellan. “I love that guy. I loved playing music with him. The guy had so much soul, so much heart in his music. I learned so much from him and those are great memories.
“We used to come to play on the Big Island all the time. Remember the (Fairmont Orchid)? Desiree would come in and sing with Guy. We’d jam until 2 in the morning. And one of our first appearances was at the Waikii Music Festival.”
Although music was in his DNA, Guy Cruz was reluctant to follow in the footsteps of his father and brothers, Ernie Jr. and John — whose 1996 album “Acoustic Soul” sold more than 100,000 copies, a mind-boggling total in Hawaii. Joining the Army, he found himself homesick and expressing those thoughts in music. After his discharge, he’d occasionally join his brothers onstage, but it wasn’t until 1998 and his solo CD, “Judgment Time,” produced by brother John, with its stunning title track and a reggae-style cover of Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio (Down by the Schoolyard),” that Guy Cruz’s artistry captured the public’s attention.
“I remember when Guy’s solo album came out, I had it spinning on repeat. And every time a new Ka‘au Crater Boys album came out, I would basically lock myself up in my room and listen to every note they were doing. Same with John’s ‘Acoustic Soul’ album,” Shimabukuro said. “They have that passion, that fire in them, that ability to just express themselves in a way that’s just extraordinary. It’s just heartbreaking.
“We went through so much together, all the ups and down. He was a special human being. We’d have some of the most epic jam sessions. He’s one of the few guys who made me cry when he was singing. We recorded a song for Mother’s Day for his mom and for my mom. It was that oldies tune ‘You’re the Best Thing’ (by) Gladys Knight. That’s one of my best memories, playing that with him.”
Shimabukuro said the first time he heard Guy Cruz’s “golden voice” was at John Cruz’s gig at the former Hot Lava Cafe off University Avenue in Honolulu.
“The place was known as ‘John Cruz’s House’ at the time,” Shimabukuro recalled. “We would go down there all the time and try to sneak in because I wasn’t 21 yet. Once in awhile, the bouncer would let us in because he knew we weren’t going to drink. We were just there for the music. And every once in awhile, Guy would tag along and be drinking and hanging out. And once in awhile, John would call him up to sing. The first time I saw him sing, I almost fell out of my chair. And when he and John would harmonize, unbelievable.”
Shimabukuro burst onto the scene in 1998, the same year as Guy Cruz, as part of the trio Pure Heart, with Colón and singer-guitarist Jon Yamasato. When Yamasato left in 1999, Shimabukuro and Colón teamed up with Guy Cruz and McLellan.
Colón won the Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 2001, the year the band split up.
“He always had my back and he always pushed me. He always pushed the band to be better, to play beyond what we could normally do and what was expected of us. I owe so much to him,” Shimabukuro said. “He was a special musician and a dear, dear friend. Sometimes, he was a little rough around the edges, but he always had our backs. And at the end of the day, you couldn’t help but love Guy.”
Survivors include brothers David, John and Anthony; sisters Ernelle Downs, Desiree and Sarah Cruz, Stephanie Tyrin, Marissa Meredith, Tiffany Garza and Connie Rincon.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
