Steven Gellman - The Road to Hana

“In February 2024, I took a cruise to Hawaii with my husband, Tony, for our 15th wedding anniversary,” Steven Gellman says about the genesis of his new song, “The Road To Hana.” “It was a dream vacation, and it took many years of planning and saving to go on the 18-day extravaganza. It truly was an incredible trip.

“What I didn’t anticipate was that it would be filled with unexpected musical surprises. Once onboard, I noticed the cruise was offering ukulele lessons from a Hawaiian ambassador. I had never given much thought to playing an ukulele but figured this would be a fun way to pass time on the 5-day passage to the Hawaiian Islands. After four classes, I absolutely fell in love with the instrument. So, when we arrived in Honolulu, I decided to tour the Kamaka ukulele factory. It was there I bought my first ukulele and named her Nani after my wonderful instructor. The next day we went to the island of Maui and took a nine-hour bus ride across the island. On that bus ride I began to compose a song in my head.

“When we left Hawaii and started the five-day trip back to California, I set out to take the melody in my head and write my first song on my newly learned instrument. By the time we debarked in San Diego, I had finished the song and titled it ‘The Road To Hana.’ Back home in Maryland, I immediately called my producer, Jim Robeson, (who produced my last album All You Need) and let him know I had a new song to record. He happened to have an opening in his busy schedule one afternoon, and in the spirit of the spontaneity of my ukulele journey, I recorded the song in just one take.”