Damon asked "why there was such a huge interest in "Hawaiian tunes"?"

The question about Hawaiian tunes I can only answer by saying that
Americans were 'reaching out' for things that were fresh and new.
I've noticed the same phenomenon with 78 records and wondered why my
grandparents had so many Hawaiian tunes.  Now I'm sorry I never thought
to ask them.  But I called my Mother (now 73) and she said that Hawaii
was a popular place to visit back then.  When people returned to the
states, they brought with them a new love for 'island' music, hence the
Hawaiian music rolls.

Musically,
John A. Tuttle
http://www.playercare.com

 [ The Salt Lake City Municipal Airport recently had a nice exhibition
 [ about travel.  A display of 1920s postal cards suggested that the
 [ Hawaiian songs were the result of travel promotions by steamship
 [ companies, a sensible notion !  -- Robbie