Frank Palani Vaughan Jr. (May 27, 1944 - December 8, 2016) was an American, Hawaiian singer guitarist, songwriter and recording artist.

His four-album series honoring Kalakaua* corrected the politically driven misrepresentation of Kalakaua’s character and documented his commitment to preserving and perpetuating traditional Hawaiian culture, embracing modern technology, and defending the Hawaiian people.

Vaughan’s commitment to publicizing Kalakaua’s true legacy ended his own career as a mainstream showroom entertainer but it was a sacrifice he made willingly — and continued to make in the decades that followed. While the third and fourth “Ia ‘Oe E Ka La” albums received Hoku Awards, he received the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

* Kalākaua (November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), born David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. He reigned from February 12, 1874 until his death in San Francisco, California, on January 20, 1891.

During his reign hula was revived, after having been banned in 1830 by Queen Ka'ahumanu, who had converted to Christianity. He is also known for having revived surfing and the Hawaiian martial art, Kapu Kuialua.

Kalākaua and his brother and sisters were known as the "Royal Fours" for their musical talents. He wrote "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī", which is the state song of Hawaii today. His ardent support of the then newly introduced ukulele as a Hawaiian instrument led to its becoming symbolic of Hawaii and Hawaiian culture. He is honored as "Patron of Hawaiian Music Culture" by the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 1997. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.