Acclaimed local artist John Cruz will offer insight into his legendary debut album with the one-hour TV special “John Cruz— ‘Acoustic Soul’ 25th Anniversary Special” at 8 p.m. Friday on K5. It features Cruz performing select songs, an in-depth interview at his Upcountry home and commentary by various Hawaii celebrities. The special will also air on KGMB at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and KHNL at 4 p.m. June 5. MARK TARONE photo

When John Cruz was on the Mainland and writing songs about missing home, the first thing that popped into his head was the memory of his mom “in the kitchen making stew and humming some Al Green song.”

“I had left Hawaii for a while because I wanted to expand my musical being. I was searching for my musical voice,” Cruz said. “I never played traditional Hawaiian music growing up. At that time, there was only one club on Oahu where you could play original music, Anna Banana’s.

“Someone once wrote the best thing you can do is to get as far away from home as possible. It’s only when you get far away from where you’re from that you can become who you are.”

Thus, “mama’s in the kitchen” became one of the lines in Cruz’s classic song “Island Style” on his album “Acoustic Soul,” released in 1996.

Few artists in Hawaii have released such an accomplished debut recording as “Acoustic Soul.” Memorable original songs like “Island Style” and “Shine On” were mixed with a few choice covers, including Jimmy Cliff’s classic “Sitting in Limbo” and a beautiful rendition of Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett’s “Kawailehua’a’alakahonua.”

Twenty-five years after its release, the Na Hoku Award-winning “Acoustic Soul” has attained iconic status.

“I feel extremely lucky and grateful,” said Cruz, who now lives Upcountry and will celebrate the anniversary with a state tour and TV special. “When you make an album, you hope to have some kind of lasting impact. It’s an album that’s still alive.”

The one-hour TV show, “John Cruz — ‘Acoustic Soul’ 25th Anniversary Special,” will offer insight into the legendary album with Cruz performing select songs, an in-depth interview by this reporter at his Upcountry home and commentary by various Hawaii celebrities. It debuts at 8 p.m. Friday on K5, followed by KGMB at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and KHNL at 4 p.m. June 5.

As part of the celebration, Cruz will perform “Acoustic Soul” 25th anniversary concerts on Maui beginning on June 8 at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei.

Cruz grew up surrounded by music. The son of legendary Hawaiian country artist Ernie Cruz Sr., he was playing bass in his father’s band by age 15. Raised with talented siblings, including brothers Ernie Cruz Jr. and Guy Cruz, he decided it would be best to pursue his love for music on the Mainland. While on the East Coast, he briefly studied political science and philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then switched to theater and dance. Settling on Martha’s Vineyard, he later played in Boston and New York.

Back on Oahu, he began debuting some of the “Acoustic Soul” songs at Ka’au Crater Boys concerts.

“I was playing bass in my brother’s band, and I would play those songs before it was even recorded,” Cruz said. “I had been performing ‘Island Style,’ and I knew it was a powerful song. When I wrote it, it basically wrote itself. I was like, wow, what’s that? I had the first verse and the chorus on the Mainland, and when I got home, I wrote the grandma verse. The rest of the songs were all on the Mainland. Looking back on it now, releasing it in Hawaii, I guess it seemed a lot different to some people.”

Nominated for six Hoku awards, “Acoustic Soul” won Contemporary Album of the Year and Most Promising Artist in 1997.

His follow-up in 2007 with the Hoku-winning “One of These Days” was one of the best contemporary albums released by a Hawaii artist in many years. Honolulu Magazine proclaimed it one of the “Top 25 Greatest Hawaii Albums of the New Century.”

He later formed the Rough Riders with Henry Kapono and Brother Noland, recording the EP “We Ride.” In 2021, he released the single “It’s Time to Build a Bridge,” which addressed the current polarized, divisive time.

In recent years Cruz performed his signature song “Island Style” with David Crosby, Graham Nash and Jackson Browne at a Maui Arts & Cultural Center concert. He had previously sung the popular anthem with Browne and Jack Johnson at a Kokua Festival featured on the benefit compilation “Best of Kokua Festival.”

Most recently, “Island Style” has been used in the soundtracks of the hit HBO TV series “The White Lotus” and on “NCIS: Hawaii.”

“I knew ‘Island Style’ would be effective to people in Hawaii,” he concluded. “But people from all over the place love that song. Even if they don’t know what kanikapila is, they have a sense of what’s being sung.”

Cruz’s ongoing residency at the ProArts Playhouse includes “Island Style” concerts on May 25, June 1 and June 29. Acoustic Soul 25th anniversary concerts are presented on June 8, 15 and 22. Tickets and more information are available at bit.ly/acousticsoul_maui.

To help celebrate the anniversary, anyone who submits an “Acoustic Soul” story, photo or video or attends a concert will be entered into a contest with the grand-prize winner receiving an at-home “Acoustic Soul” concert performance by Cruz anywhere in Hawaii. Details are available at www. johncruz.com/acousticsoul/.