Meet Staci Blevins

To understand why this guitar matters so much to me, you have to understand Kauai and its importance to me. Kauai is a small island – the most isolated land mass on Earth – in the Hawaiian island chain. Ever since I was a kid, my family vacationed there many times a year, and it holds a very special place in my heart. Aside from its raw physical beauty, it has a deeply spiritual and sentimental meaning as well, as the ashes of both my grandmother and grandfather were scattered there (as mine and my mother’s will be as well when our time comes). 

I have many memories of Kauai, particularly with my grandfather. We hiked up the rocks, spent time watching the sea turtles frolicking in the surf, and took helicopter and boat rides that showcased the majesty of the Na Pali cliffs – where emerald green cliff spikes jut up towards the heavens in front of crystal clear turquoise blue water.

I had a particularly close relationship with my grandfather, in part because I grew up without a father. So he filled that role for me, and treated me like one of his own children. He was my hero, and he had a spirit and charisma that could fill a room like no one else. Despite facing racial animus, he managed to become the first African-American to attain the rank of Chief in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. But while he could be imposing to those that did not know him, to me, he was just grandpa.

While my grandmother liked Hawaii, my grandfather (like me) loved Hawaii. It was his dream to live there one day, and though he never got to achieve that, I feel his presence there now. To this day, whenever I return to Kauai, I feel his spirit wrapping me up in the big bear hugs he was famous for giving me.