Born in the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kekuku later immigrated to the contiguous United States in 1904 to pursue a successful career in music, where he lived until his death.

Joseph Kekuku‘upenakana‘iapuniokamehameha Apuakehau, Jr. was born in Laie, a village on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

In 1889 while attending the Kamehameha School for Boys, Kekuku accidentally discovered the sound of the steel guitar.

Kekuku returned to America on board the United States Lines ocean liner SS Republic in October 1926.

On the evening of October 3 he performed in the passenger-led benefit concert for seamen’s charities and the Actors Fund of the United States, as was customary on transatlantic crossings.

[5] In 1932 Joseph Kekuku lived in Dover, New Jersey, with his wife and gave Hawaiian guitar lessons.