DESCRIPTION:
International artists, Keo Mailani Woolford (formerly known as Joe or Joey Woolford) and Scott Katsura began their close friendship on the island of Oahu in Hawai'i. They first met as vocal students of Eunice Demello in Manoa Valley. As Eunice was also music director for St. Clement's Episcopal Church in Punahou, Joey and Scott bonded even more as they were both choir singers with Eunice for a few years. Together, they were the first to confide and share their career dreams and aspirations with each other. At the very beginning, Scott agreed to manage and promote 'Joe Woolford' in the islands as a pop dance recording artist. In return, Joey helped Scott to establish himself as a recording artist on the island as well. Both Joey and Scott recorded their demo tracks with Dave Tucciarone at Fortunate Sun Studio in Honolulu.

As years rolled by, Joey moved to Los Angeles, changing his name to Keo Woolford and became an actor, as Scott moved to New Jersey to pursue his music career with his longtime friend, Evelyn Champagne King, another recording artist most known for her hits, “Shame,” “I'm In Love” and “Love Come Down.”

Keo and Scott eventually reconnected in New York City where they were both residents of Manhattan. As this video tribute shows, Keo invited Scott to compose and perform on a song that would coincide with a Broadway play that Keo was involved in, “Sonnets For an Old Century.” Scott wrote the song “In My Heart I Know” in which Keo sang background vocals, in addition to orchestrating the background vocal arrangements. “In My Heart I Know” appeared on the CD-soundtrack for the play titled, “Songs For an Old Century.”

That same year, Keo appeared in Scott's “Aloha Miles Away” documentary, in which Scott also won 'Pop Album of the Year' for his “Aloha Miles Away” CD-album at the HMA. “In My Heart I Know” also appeared on Scott's “Aloha Miles Away” CD-album as a bonus track.

On Monday, November 28, 2016, the day that Keo passed away on Oahu in Hawai'i, Scott was able to speak some loving words of comfort and Aloha to Keo (via Scott's business manager Carolyn). As Keo lay in his hospital bed unconscious and on life support, Carolyn held the phone to Keo's ear as Scott whispered from all the way in New Jersey. Keo passed away no more than two hours after that phone call.

Aloha wau ia 'oe (I love you!) Keo Malani Woolford. Aloha Ke Akua (God bless you!) Keo for all eternity. Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much!) Keo for all the beauty, wisdom and Aloha Spirit that you have shared with others all around the globe.

KEO MAILANI WOOLFORD/New York Times (Excerpts):
Keo Woolford, a Hawaiian actor and filmmaker who played Detective James Chang in the current CBS television series “Hawaii Five-O”, died on Monday, November 28, 2016 in Oahu, Hawaii. He was 49. Keo had roles in several movies, including “Act of Valor” (2012) and the 2014 remake of “Godzilla.” His recurring role, from 2011 to 2015, as Detective Chang on “Hawaii Five-O,” a reboot of the 1968-80 series, was among his most visible. He was born in Honolulu on Jan. 26, 1967, and adopted by Dwight and Vicki Woolford when he was 4 days old. His first name, he said, was pronounced “like O.K. Backwards.” He graduated from St. Louis High School in Oahu in 1985 and began his acting career in the 1990s. Over the years, he appeared in film, television and stage roles in New York, Los Angeles and London, including as the King of Siam in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I” in London. Some of Keo’s work highlighted his culture. In “I Land,” a solo play that he wrote and performed, he explored his heritage through the history of hula dance. “His sense of humor is apparent throughout,” a brief item in The New York Times said when it was staged at the Culture Project in SoHo in 2007. It toured for three years. “To Keo, hula is more than Hollywood kitsch,” The Times noted. “It is an important aspect of his identity and that of his home state. His show, he said after a recent preview performance, ‘is not a history lesson or educational device,’ though it does much to counteract the perception that Hawaii is merely a vacation fantasy land.” Keo made his directorial debut in 2010 with the short film “Lunchtime.” He went on to write and direct the independent film “The Haumana” (2013), about a man who becomes a hula teacher. He is survived by his father; a brother, Brian; and a sister, Wendy Pasion.

OFFICIAL WEBSITES:
http://keowoolford.com/
http://scottkatsura.com/