"It brought Native American music into the mainstream," said Black Eagle member George Toya. "It brought the music to the rest of the world."

Now Hawaiian music takes its place at the podium for the first time in Grammy history today — and with the triumph, bought with years of groundwork by Hawaiian musicians and music industry professionals, comes reward and responsibility.

First, there is the Grammy recognition itself to celebrate. Next, worldwide sales and popularity should rise for the winner. Then the Recording Academy expects the local music industry to do its part by making records and signing up members.

"The Grammy gives the music credibility to the outside world. ... It means people look at it differently," said Leah Bernstein, president of the Mountain Apple Co., whose artists The Brothers Cazimero are nominated. "We won't. The nominees and people of Hawai'i (already) cherish their culture and their music.

"But it's going to put Hawaiian music in a better place.

"To have Hawaiian music recognized in the same award ceremony as the best music in the world is very flattering and very humbling for all of us."

SEAL OF APPROVAL

REICHEL

HO'OKENA

With dozens of Hawaiian titles in the world music section of, say, a Wal-Mart in Louisville, Ky., a buyer's choice may be decided by a "Grammy-winner" sticker.

A week after the multi-Grammy sweep last year by OutKast's "Speakerboxx/ The Love Below," its sales jumped 147 percent.

Black Eagle enjoyed a more modest 25 percent sales increase for "Flying Free" in the weeks following its nontelevised Grammy win. "But when you consider that this form of music isn't really in retail stores, and the normal outlets we service are specialty stores, that's good," said Tom Bee, owner of Black Eagle's label, Albuquerque, N.M.-based Sound of America Records.

Native American music is a sister category to Hawaiian music in the folk field, and Black Eagle's post-Grammy fortunes are a good barometer for our first winner.

But what about post-Grammy impact on CD sales at home?

"I know that once we have a winner, even Hawai'i sales will increase for that particular release," said Alan Yamamoto, president of the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts. "There are going to be people who don't buy Hawaiian music who say, 'They won a Grammy. Maybe I should listen to it.' "

Yamamoto was more skeptical of Hawai'i's Grammy winner getting a sales boost outside the state.

"It's still one of many Grammy categories," said Yamamoto. "So are (consumers) really going to go, 'Oh, look, there's the Hawaiian music category!' if they're not already familiar with it? That's the big question mark.

What about hoku?

The Na Hoku Hanohano Awards have enjoyed status as the most prestigious prize in the Hawaiian music industry for 28 years. The veteran artists up for the Hawaiian music Grammy have taken home more than 75 Hoku between them.

But is it possible that the Grammy — as the premier music industry prize worldwide — might diminish the importance of a Hoku win? Yamamoto, whose Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts' organizes the Hoku awards each year, thinks not.

"If anything, the Grammy enhances the Hoku awards," said Yamamoto. "We may end up with different results (for the Grammy), since a different group of people will be voting on it. ... (But) both (awards) are going to promote the music itself, and enhance awareness.

"We've always wanted more recognition for Hawaiian music. Our membership has been actively working toward this for a long time."

Former Recording Academy PacificiNorthwest chapter executive director Deborah Semer was a key representative for the Hawaiian music community in its push for Grammy recognition. She predicts that one very noticeable aftereffect of the new Grammy category — which requires a predominance of vocal tracks in Hawaiian — will be more musicians' using Hawaiian lyrics in their recordings, in an effort to qualify for Grammy consideration.

"That's a byproduct with big impact that's going to change the industry a little bit," said Semer. "And that's a great thing. It preserves the culture. It gets people back in touch with it."

KEEPING OUR GRAMMY

What the Recording Academy has given Hawaiian music, it can just as quickly take away. Just ask the musicians who didn't support the now-defunct best Remixer of the Year category, given from 1997 to 2000.

"The (Recording Academy's) maintaining the Hawaiian Grammy category depends on the amount of records entered into the voting process and number of voting members," said Worldsound's Wyatt. "If that's compromised, they're going to stop it."

The Recording Academy requires that a category produce at least 25 records annually, and that a sufficient number of those records be submitted for Grammy consideration each year. The academy also looks at how many members vote in each category, and expects to see growth on all counts in future years.

"The industry has to participate," Semer said.

There are about 90 Hawai'i-based Recording Academy members this year, out of 17,000 nationwide. Semer told academy officials the category would draw at least 200 votes in its first year.

"The Grammy is an award of peers in the industry," said Wyatt. "And if there aren't enough qualified Hawaiian music voters, the (Recording Academy) could become concerned that the award is not being properly juried or that there isn't a process they can rely upon to select a proper winner."

Applying for membership is easy enough.

Voting members of the Recording Academy must have creative or technical credits on six commercially released tracks. The membership includes vocalists, songwriters, producers, engineers, art directors, technicians and others. Annual membership dues are as low as $100.

"That's roughly one-quarter of a good iPod," said Wyatt. "When you look at it from that perspective, musicians who want to make the right choice can make it affordable."

LASTING IMPACT

While local accountants — and interested musicians — measure Grammy's impact on music sales for the winner and nominees for best Hawaiian music album, the award's lasting impact will likely be measured by the worldwide respect it generates for Hawaiian music.

"The significance of the Grammy is that it lends us a louder voice," said best Hawaiian music album nominee Keali'i Reichel. "It opens doors ... It allows us to move into another place and make it easier to play with the big boys."

But while Reichel called Grammy recognition "a good beginning" for Hawaiian music as it moves onto the worldwide stage, he cautioned peers in the local industry about too much talk of it being about time.

"Hawaiian music has always been here. ... We've been doing what we've been doing for a long time. Not just me, but the countless musicians that have come before all of us," said Reichel. "The Grammys are an opportunity for us to share with the world. But it is not a validation of what we do. It doesn't validate who we are.

"For me, that's really important to remember."