Hawaiian Style Band’s Bryan Kessler, Robi Kahakalau & Wade Cambern. Courtesy photo

When the Hawaiian Style Band released their acclaimed, Hōkū-winning debut album, “Vanishing Treasures,” highlights included a cover of Eddie Kamae’s “No Ke Ano Ahiaha,” sung by Robi Kahakalau, the joyful reggae of “Live a Little” and Israel Iz Kamakawiwo’ole’s anthemic “Living in a Sovereign Land.”

“Our island nation has got to be free,” Iz sang. “Island people come together as one, For future generations under the sun, Singing songs of freedom, Singing songs of love.”

The group’s founding member Wade Cambern recalls Iz loved recording the song.

“He really connected with ‘Living in a Sovereign Land,’ and delivered so much character to it,” said Cambern. “So we went ahead and made him a co-writer on it, and made every opportunity for him to make it his own, and he did. He was embedded in the whole thing as the voice of a Hawaiian man, and he went on to record it on one of his albums.”

Famous for island anthems like “Let’s Talk Story” with Iz, “No Ke Ano Ahiaha,” “Rhythm of the Ocean” and “Live A Little,” the legendary group will team with Henry Kapono for an Artist 2 Artist concert May 22 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The group features Cambern, Bryan Kessler and Kahakalau.

“It’s going to be the three of us, and I think Henry’s going to join us for a couple of songs,” said Cambern. “I really enjoy the blend of our three voices and that’s kind of why we’re doing the trio. It’s just such a hallmark of what we do and there’s nothing like that unplugged setting to make it stand out more.”

Known for crafting memorable songs that captured the islands, the group included a revolving door of leading Hawaiian talent, including Kamakawiwo’ole, Cyril and Bla Pahinui, Del Beazley, Ernie Cruz Jr., Fiji and Teresa Bright.

The genesis of the group began with a jingle composed by Cambern and Kessler for Local Motion.

“Bryan and I started as a little production house for local jingles, and Rob Burns from Local Motion lassoed us to do a jingle,” he recalled. “It came on KCCN and people started to call to request the jingle. So we just said let’s give this a try on a song, which was ‘Live A Little,’ and we won a Hōkū.”

Cambern was a student at Kapi’olani Community College when “Vanishing Treasures” was released. “The newspaper there did this little spread on me and winning the Hōkū and I was met with disbelief because I was a haole guy doing songs that local people were responding to,” he said. “It was really kind of almost like on a dare, that we started doing this, because Bryan and I played together for years.”

Playing in local bars and restaurants, “we were versed in Sting and Paul Simon, and Men at Work, those kinds of groups, and we adopted a lot of that musicality to our writing. It just connected with people. It was like being at the right place at the right time, and doing the right thing with the right people. It was quite a confluence.”

Blending appealing originals with sparkling covers of Hawaiian songs, the duo realized they needed someone on board fluent in Hawaiian, which led Sistah Robi to join.

“It was also her voice,” he said. “She was like the muse. She really had that vulnerability and musicality that was so fresh at that point. She sounded like Stevie Nicks.”

Following “Vanishing Treasures,” subsequent recordings included “Rhythm of the Ocean” and “Ohana,” and “The Best of the Hawaiian Style Band” in 1999. In 2014, Cambern and Kessler reformed to produce “Hanau Hou.”

As a solo artist, Kahakalau went on to earn multiple Hōkū Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, and her collaborative project with Sean Na’auao was nominated for a Grammy Award. A featured singer on various albums by some of Hawaii’s leading musicians, she recorded with Keali’i Richel, the Makaha Sons, the Ka’u Crater Boys and HAPA.

Kessler became a noted producer and contributed to the Grammy-winning “Slack Key Volume 2.” He released a handful of albums including “Heart Jams” and “Hawaiian Healing Journey” with Steve Jones, and recorded “Fallen Angel” with Graham Nash. Cambern has continued as a composer and lyricist, releasing the solo CD, “A Blue Canoe,” with the local hit “Funky Hula Girl,” and “Constant as the Moon” with Chinese erhu player Tsun-Hui Hung.

As far as newer Hawaiian Style Band material, “we’ve done a few more recordings,” he notes. “We put out three singles. I think we’ll at least include one or two of our newer tunes in the show.”

Hawaiian Style Band performs with Henry Kapono for an “Artist 2 Artist” concert at the MACC’s McCoy Studio Theater on May 22 at 7 p.m. Ryan Hooley will open. Tickets are $45, $55, and $75 plus applicable fees.