Reference
About the Song
We were walking hand in hand
On a white sandy beach
Of Hawaii
We were playing in the sun
We were having so much fun
On a white sandy beach
Of Hawaii
The sound of the ocean
Soothes my restless soul
The sound of the ocean
Rocks me all night long
Those hot long sunner days
Laying there in the sun
On a white sandy beach
Of hawaii
Last night in my dreams
I saw your face agian
We were there
In the sun
On a white sandy beach
Of Hawaii
-Duc Huy (aka stage name "Willie Dann")
(c) Mountain Apple Company Inc. All rights reserved.
The man who wrote 'White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i' was actually from Vietnam and nobody knew who he was.
Willie Dann was a mystery. His song had been a staple of Hawaiin musicians sets for many years, and Israel's old band had even recorded it in 1991. But there was nothing on file saying who Willie Dann actually was. He hadn't written any other songs that they could find, there was no address for him. As a result, his royalties were kept to one side for many years in case he should show up.
In 2005, 12 years after the album was released, the record company got a call from a Vietnamese guy called Duc Huy claiming he had written the song and that Willie Dann was a stage name. He'd married in Waikiki and wrote the song after a walk along the beach with his wife. He was now on his way to LA after breaking up with said wife and was looking to start a new life, and thought he'd pop by to see if that song he'd written the last time he was here was worth anything.
He was handed a crisp cheque for about $50,000, and now receives royalties in Vietnam (the LA thing didn't work out) every three months. source