Irmgard Farden Aluli

"Auntie" Irmgard Keali'iwahinealohanohokahaopuamana Farden Aluli (1911 - October 4, 2001) was a Hawaiian composer who wrote over 200 songs. In Hawaii, she was considered a haku mele, or maker of songs. Aluli is considered the most prolific woman composer of Hawaii since Queen Lili'uokalani. She is the fourth person to be honored twice for a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA). She has also been inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.

Aluli was raised in Maui and was one of ten children in a musical family. Aluli first started performing publicly with the Annie Kerr Trio in 1926. She had an alto voice and could play piano, ukulele, bass and guitar. Aluli wrote her first song in 1935, called "Down on Maunakea Street."

In 1937, she had her first hit, "Puamana," which was a song she wrote about her childhood home. "Puamana" has become a standard for hula dancers and Hawaiian musicians.

In the 1960s, she started a group called Puamana. The group started out as a quartet which included her daughters and her niece. A short film was created by Les Blank, Meleanna Meyer and Chris Simon about Puamana in 1991. The film features the group and also includes interviews with Aluli.

Aluli performed publicly often, until she hurt her hand in 1998. In 1998, she was honored with her induction into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. She continued to play ukulele and made "occasional appearances until a few weeks before her death." Aluli died on October 4 in Honolulu.

In 2015, Puamana, which has continued under the leadership of her daughters and granddaughter earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from HARA.