AT SOME POINT, they all came back to Hawaii.

Just like father Ernie Cruz Sr., who has roots in Guam and grew up in Modesto, Calif., before arriving in the islands 50 years ago, most of his 12 children have spent at least part of their lives on the mainland.

“;I was on the East Coast, Ernie (Jr.) and Dave were living in Colorado and my sister (Desiree) was in the Middle East,”; says John Cruz, the award-winning singer/songwriter best known for his 1997 album, “;Acoustic Soul.”;

“;(Ernelle) was in Japan and Guy was in the service, so we were just scattered all over,”; he continues. “;Back in '83, before I left, I was looking at what my life as a musician was going to be like in Hawaii and it wasn't that exciting for me.”;

Like his four older siblings, John left the islands in search of adventure, staying away for more than a decade.

But now that he's arguably the most famous member of the Cruz ohana, with both Na Hoku Hanohano Award and Grammy Award wins under his belt and an invite to play at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration next month in Washington, D.C., he's in a much better position to help his other siblings with their music careers.

“;I just try to give whatever I can,”; John says. “;On the mainland, what I didn't have was that (family connection) ... I'm glad I can do anything to help my family.”;

THE concept of family first was one that Ernie Sr.'s ex-wife, Doreen Suganuma, instilled in her kids when the couple divorced in the 1970s and she moved the family into public housing in Palolo Valley.

While their father remarried and continued his successful music career as “;The Waimea Cowboy,”; Suganuma juggled caring for the kids with a job as a hostess at the old Coco's Coffee Shop at the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue. A talented singer in her own right, she stressed the importance of music in the household.

“;My mother doesn't always get the credit, but she deserves it because she kept us singing,”; says daughter Desiree Cruz. “;I think (music) was a distraction for both us and her, because being a single parent in Palolo Housing with seven kids of her own was tough.”;

Although money was tight, Suganuma kept buying music for her kids. With every trip to the grocery store came a trip to the record store, and the Cruz household became known throughout Palolo Valley as the place where all the singers lived.

“;We sang at the top of our lungs,”; Desiree laughs. “;We were always trying to harmonize, because when there were that many kids, you either learned to sing in harmony or you shut up!”;

WHEN ELDEST son Ernie Jr. rose to stardom as half of the island-contemporary duo the Ka'au Crater Boys in the early '90s, his younger brother David was gaining a foothold in the culinary world.

He had grown up playing music like his brothers and sisters, even leaving the islands with Ernie Jr. for a gig in Colorado some 25 years ago. But while Ernie had no problems living the starving musician's lifestyle, David had other plans.

“;I went up there and played with him one winter,”; he explains. “;And all of a sudden, I got a waiter gig in a French restaurant and I was like, 'I'm making more money waiting tables than playing music!'

“;The next thing you know, I started cooking and throwing myself more into the creative side of the restaurant business.”;

In 1993, David came home to help Glenn Chu open Indigo Restaurant before moving to the Bay Area. Six months ago, he returned to the Chinatown restaurant as executive chef, with the dining room as his stage and the cuisine his instrument.

“;People tend to socialize around food and music, so it seemed like a good fit for me to transition to,”; he says. “;Both of them, you get that immediate gratification ... you're able to resonate with somebody right there, and it's the same thing when you're playing music.

“;You're making a connection.”;

David says it was his father who taught him the importance of passion—to “;put your heart and soul into what you're doing.”; Without that drive, he says, his path wouldn't have led back home, where he can share a stage of sorts with his brothers and sisters at Indigo.

“;To give my father credit, I think he encouraged everyone to sing freely from when they were young,”; says Desiree. “;To sing was a replacement for whatever was ailing you, whatever was missing.

“;Collectively, all of us, we can sing from our hearts, and that's what appeals to people.”;

Ernie Jr. continues to perform on a regular basis around Honolulu, while Desiree has performed on the weekends at the Kohala Resort since 1997.

And now, younger siblings have begun to share the spotlight. Guy, the youngest of Ernie Sr. and Noreen Suganuma's seven children, has one of the more active performance schedules, nearly a decade after breaking into the local scene as Jon Yamasato's replacement in the group Pure Heart. These days, he maintains gigs at Indigo, Hula's and On Stage Drinks and Grinds in Kapahulu.

Tiffa Cruz Garza and Connie Cruz, products of Ernie Sr.'s third marriage, also are rising stars. They spent seven years in the '90s living in their father's old Modesto neighborhood, before moving back to Hawaii and settling on the Big Island in 1997. Four years later, Tiffa moved to Oahu.

“;Right after that, my brother Ernie got me a gig at Hale Noa and I started playing there every week,”; she says. “;And that opened up me playing at Anna Bannana's and then Gordon Biersch ... and that's where I met Kelli Heath from the Girlas!”;

The early assist from her brother made it a bit easier for Tiffa to find her way in the local scene. Just seven years later, she's married to fellow musician Imua Garza and performing with him and sister Connie in the group One Right Turn.

“;I'm just excited to represent my family,”; Tiffa says when asked what responsibility comes with bearing the Cruz name. “;They've all really helped to shape me as an artist in so many different ways, and it's kind of cool to get to do what they've done already.”;

What Tiffa and Connie might not realize is they inspire their older siblings as well. “;It's exciting for me,”; admits big brother John. “;I wish I was in their band, then I could watch them go through the whole process!

“;For our generation to go through the stuff we did ... all the typical cliche things, the alcohol and drugs, all that stuff. Now for them to be different, stemming from a place of church and family ... it's a great model to live by and it should be held up (as an example) to others.”;

David is also happy to be able to help his brothers and sisters. Nearly all have performed at Indigo during his first six months back at the restaurant, and he hopes to cultivate a better environment for live music there in the coming months.

“;We're actually working on trying to fine-tune the acoustics in the Green Room, so when musicians play there they'll think it's pretty sweet,”; he says. He'd like Indigo's customers to feel his family could stop by on any night.

“;Everybody might show up and you'll get that sort of improv format.”;