The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John. "A night of Na Hoku Hanohano". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi. "Hoku awardees shine; Mailani, Willie K named best vocalists". Hawaii 24/7. May 31, 2010. They are considered to be Hawaii's equivalent of the Grammy Awards. "Nā Hōkū Hanohano" means "Stars of Distinction" in Hawaiian – "hōkū" means "star", "nā" makes it plural, and "hanohano" means "glorious, worthy of praises". The awards were founded in 1978 by radio personality Krash Kealoha of KCCN-AM, a radio station which focused on traditional Hawaiian music. He launched the first awards with the support of the owner of the radio station Sydney Grayson, and his fellow DJs Kimo Kaho‘āno and Jacqueline “Skylark” Rossetti.Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts. NaHokuHanohano.org. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
