I have claimed for years that Hawaiian music was an important primary influence on commercial and popular country music, If you listen to some of the early Hawaiian recordings, the instrumentation and the vocal harmonies, and especially the steel guitar sound, are much closer to the country and western sound that evolved in the thirties and forties than to that of the string bands and traditional performers recorded in the twenties--

Speaking of Hilo Hattie, here is a *cool* song of hers (not like Sweet Leilani, which was a Bing Crosby movie song, for God's sakes!)

Princess Pupule -
words & music by Harry Owens
Princess Pupule has plenty papayas
And she loves to give it away
Now all of the neighbors they say
Oh mea oh mya
You really should try a little piece
Of the Princess Pupule's papaya
Princess Pupule's not truly unruly
To pass out papayas each day
For all of the neighbors they say
She may give the fruit
But she holds on to the root
And so she has the fruit and the root to boot
Zaza zaza zaza zaa---
One bright Sunday afternoon
It was field day in her papaya groves
But I reached the gate an hour too late
The customers were lined up in droves
So let this be a warning
Go early in the morning
And it is true you'll never rue the day
The Princess Pupule has plenty papayas
And she love to give it away
I mean papaya
She loves to give them away

Aloha,

Ted