Hawaiian songbird Amy Hānaiali'i Gilliom has been the darling of the isles and especially of her home island of Maui since she was in grade school. Though not of pure Hawaiian blood, Gilliom is descended on one side from Jennie Napua Woodd, one of the original Royal Hawaiian Girls of the '30s and '40s and choreographer of many Hawaiian films from that same period. As a recording artist, Gilliom embraced her Hawaiian heritage firmly -- but it was not always so.
She started out in the theaters and concert halls of Maui and Honolulu, even spending some time on the mainland, stud...