Mountain Apple
Amy Gilliom and her grandmother, Jennie
Napua Hanaiali'i Wood, appear together on
the cover of Gilliom's "Hawaiian Tradition."
Granddaughter Amy
By John Berger
and tutu, too
Special to the Star-BulletinAmy Hanaiali'i Gilliom has fans worldwide, thanks to the success of her second album, "Hawaiian Tradition," the international reach of the Mountain Apple Co. and that modern promotional vehicle known as the Internet.
Fans write and e-mail her from many distant points, but few communications have touched her as deeply as a package she recently received from England.
"A man in England sent me a two-hour documentary on my grandmother. I had known that there was footage of her, but we couldn't find anyone to get it from.
"In the first clip she must be only like 18, and she's doing a song called "Wiggles." The rest of it shows her on the Groucho Marx Show, and with Sonny Kamahele and Hilo Hattie and all the entertainers she entertained with in Hollywood."
Grandmother -- Jennie Napua Hanaiali'i Wood -- was long retired and seemingly a footnote in the history of Hawaiian music when she appeared on the cover of "Hawaiian Tradition" and was heard responding enthusiastically to Gilliom's rendition of "Hale'iwa Hula." The album launched Gilliom as Hawaii's hottest new old-style Hawaiian vocalist and won her two Hoku Awards in May.
Gilliom and her tutu will celebrate their shared musical heritage with Irmgaard Farden Aluli and Puamana, Kealoha Kalama, Genoa Keawe and Willie K tomorrow night at the Hawaii Theatre.
"All the women I remember growing up listening to -- and Willie!"
Gilliom said her grandmother has Alzheimer's disease, but it doesn't show when she performs. "She won't know where she's at or what she's doing, but as soon as she's on stage the Alzheimer's is gone and she works that stage. It's awesome for me to work with her and have people come see her who knew her when she was in Hollywood."
Among Gilliom's dreams is staging a show to recreate the ambience of her grandmother's performances in Hollywood.
"It seemed like when people would walk into a setting where my grandmother was at everything was Hawaiian. There wasn't one thing left out. They had to adapt to Hollywood with things like the cellophane skirts, but she still did a lot of chanting and things like that.
"Watching the clips we noticed that her musicians were doing horn parts to 'E Liliu E.' It's amazing that they were doing things like that -- horns, upward bass, steel guitar, three girls dancing in the middle. That's what I'd like to do. As far as my shows are concerned, I think exactly like her."
Amy Gilliom
and FriendsIn concert: 8 p.m. tomorrow
