A Taste of Honey (band)
Encyclopedia
A Taste of Honey was the name of an American
recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco
era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie
". After their popularity waned during the 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo
artist
and release the album One Taste Of Honey which produced numerous minor hits. In 2004, singers Hazel Payne (guitar) and Janice-Marie Johnson (bass) reunited for the first time in over twenty years to perform on the PBS
specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars.
, California
. The members of the band consisted of Janice-Marie Johnson (vocals, co-writer, bass
), Carlita Dorhan (vocals, guitar
), Perry Kibble (keyboards, co-producer, co-writer) and Donald Ray Johnson (drum
s). Long time friends, Kibble and Janice-Marie Johnson (no relation to Donald) were the original members of the band. Each had left a band to join forces and, after going through several drummers, they settled on Johnson, as well as replacing lead singer with Gregory Walker, who left the band just prior to the successful release of "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Carlita Dorhan left the group in early 1976, and Hazel Payne was added.
The group began to improve their sound over a period of six years prior to being discovered by Capitol Records
. Hitting major cities outside of Los Angeles, they also began doing USO tours, with spots in Spain, Morocco, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. Upon returning to Los Angeles, while playing in a nightclub
, they were spotted by record producer
s Fonce and Larry Mizell who convinced Capitol Records' then vice-executive-producer, Larkin Arnold, to give them an audition. They signed a five album contract, and billed themselves after Herb Alpert
's song "A Taste of Honey." The first single
, "Boogie Oogie Oogie
", from their debut album
A Taste of Honey, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1978. It sold two million copies. The group was awarded two platinum records
for the single and album, and won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
at the 20th Grammys on February 15, 1979. Their subsequent disco releases, such as "Do It Good" (#79 in 1979) from Another Taste, and "Rescue Me" (1980) failed to attract attention, and by 1980 the group had become a duo
consisting of Johnson and Payne.
When recording
their cover version
of the Kyu Sakamoto
song
""Sukiyaki"
", from their third album, Twice As Sweet (1980), they resisted suggestions to turn it into a dance tune. As a ballad
it brought them their second and final major hit of their careers in 1981, when it reached #1 on the Billboard
R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and #3 on the Hot 100.
A Taste of Honey released their final album, Ladies of the Eighties in 1982. It featured their final Billboard Hot 100 single, "I'll Try Something New" (#41). This cover of the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles hit from 1962 also went to #9 on the R&B charts and #29 on the Adult Contemporary.
After their popularity waned in the early 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo
artist
and released One Taste Of Honey, which produced the single "Love Me Tonight" and became a minor hit on the R&B charts. Payne went on to become an international stage actress, appearing in a number of theatre
plays around the world including Oh! What A Night.
Upon moving to Calgary, Alberta, Canada
in the early 1990s to play in local night clubs and to write music for a television production, Kibble married a local school music teacher in 1993, and become stepfather to three children. In February 1999, Kibble died of heart failure, at the age of 49. Donald Ray Johnson continues to live and play blues in Calgary, where he also married a local. Johnson released several blues albums under his own name. The following year Janice Johnson released her second solo album, Hiatus Of The Heart. In 2004, Payne and Janice Johnson reunited for the first time in over twenty years to perform on the PBS specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars.
Janice Marie Johnson, who is of Stockbridge-Munsee-Mohican heritage according to her website's biography, was inducted in the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie
Boogie Oogie Oogie
"Boogie Oogie Oogie" is the name of a popular song by disco/R&B group A Taste of Honey. Released from their self-titled album in 1978, it became an extremely popular "crossover" song. The lyrics urge listeners to "boogie oogie oogie till you just can't boogie no more." It topped the Billboard Hot...
". After their popularity waned during the 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and release the album One Taste Of Honey which produced numerous minor hits. In 2004, singers Hazel Payne (guitar) and Janice-Marie Johnson (bass) reunited for the first time in over twenty years to perform on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion was a 2004 musical documentary special which aired on PBS. The special featured Irene Cara, KC & The Sunshine Band, Yvonne Elliman, The Hues Corporation, Peaches & Herb, Karen Lynn Gorney, A Taste of Honey , Rob Parissi of Wild Cherry, Leo Sayer, Deney Terrio,...
and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars.
Biography
Formed during 1971, A Taste of Honey hailed from Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The members of the band consisted of Janice-Marie Johnson (vocals, co-writer, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Carlita Dorhan (vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Perry Kibble (keyboards, co-producer, co-writer) and Donald Ray Johnson (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s). Long time friends, Kibble and Janice-Marie Johnson (no relation to Donald) were the original members of the band. Each had left a band to join forces and, after going through several drummers, they settled on Johnson, as well as replacing lead singer with Gregory Walker, who left the band just prior to the successful release of "Boogie Oogie Oogie". Carlita Dorhan left the group in early 1976, and Hazel Payne was added.
The group began to improve their sound over a period of six years prior to being discovered by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Hitting major cities outside of Los Angeles, they also began doing USO tours, with spots in Spain, Morocco, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. Upon returning to Los Angeles, while playing in a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, they were spotted by record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Fonce and Larry Mizell who convinced Capitol Records' then vice-executive-producer, Larkin Arnold, to give them an audition. They signed a five album contract, and billed themselves after Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
's song "A Taste of Honey." The first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Boogie Oogie Oogie
Boogie Oogie Oogie
"Boogie Oogie Oogie" is the name of a popular song by disco/R&B group A Taste of Honey. Released from their self-titled album in 1978, it became an extremely popular "crossover" song. The lyrics urge listeners to "boogie oogie oogie till you just can't boogie no more." It topped the Billboard Hot...
", from their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
A Taste of Honey, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1978. It sold two million copies. The group was awarded two platinum records
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for the single and album, and won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
at the 20th Grammys on February 15, 1979. Their subsequent disco releases, such as "Do It Good" (#79 in 1979) from Another Taste, and "Rescue Me" (1980) failed to attract attention, and by 1980 the group had become a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
consisting of Johnson and Payne.
When recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
their cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Kyu Sakamoto
Kyu Sakamoto
was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
""Sukiyaki"
Sukiyaki (song)
The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart)....
", from their third album, Twice As Sweet (1980), they resisted suggestions to turn it into a dance tune. As a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
it brought them their second and final major hit of their careers in 1981, when it reached #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and #3 on the Hot 100.
A Taste of Honey released their final album, Ladies of the Eighties in 1982. It featured their final Billboard Hot 100 single, "I'll Try Something New" (#41). This cover of the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles hit from 1962 also went to #9 on the R&B charts and #29 on the Adult Contemporary.
After their popularity waned in the early 1980s, Johnson went on to record as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and released One Taste Of Honey, which produced the single "Love Me Tonight" and became a minor hit on the R&B charts. Payne went on to become an international stage actress, appearing in a number of theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
plays around the world including Oh! What A Night.
Upon moving to Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the early 1990s to play in local night clubs and to write music for a television production, Kibble married a local school music teacher in 1993, and become stepfather to three children. In February 1999, Kibble died of heart failure, at the age of 49. Donald Ray Johnson continues to live and play blues in Calgary, where he also married a local. Johnson released several blues albums under his own name. The following year Janice Johnson released her second solo album, Hiatus Of The Heart. In 2004, Payne and Janice Johnson reunited for the first time in over twenty years to perform on the PBS specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion was a 2004 musical documentary special which aired on PBS. The special featured Irene Cara, KC & The Sunshine Band, Yvonne Elliman, The Hues Corporation, Peaches & Herb, Karen Lynn Gorney, A Taste of Honey , Rob Parissi of Wild Cherry, Leo Sayer, Deney Terrio,...
and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars.
Janice Marie Johnson, who is of Stockbridge-Munsee-Mohican heritage according to her website's biography, was inducted in the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
Albums
| Year | Album | US R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Pop Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey (album) A Taste of Honey is the debut album by the American rhythm and blues group A Taste Of Honey. Produced by Fonce Mizell & Larry Mizell for Sky High Productions... |
2 | 6 |
| 1979 | Another Taste | 26 | 59 |
| 1980 | Twice As Sweet | 12 | 36 |
| 1982 | Ladies of the Eighties | 14 | 73 |
| 2010 | Divas of Disco: Live Divas of Disco: Live -Credits and personnel:* Linda Clifford - lead vocal* Janice Marie Johnson - lead vocal* Thelma Houston - lead vocal* France Joli - lead vocal* CeCe Peniston - lead vocal* Jean McClain - back vocal* Sabrina Sloan - back vocal* Ed Roth - music director, piano... (with CeCe Peniston CeCe Peniston CeCe Peniston is an African American recording artist and former beauty queen. At the beginning of the nineties, she was considered to be one of the most successful dance club artists in the history of the U.S... , Thelma Houston Thelma Houston Thelma Houston is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1976 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.-Early life & career:Houston is the daughter of a cotton picking mother... , Linda Clifford Linda Clifford Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress, who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light".... and France Joli France Joli France Joli is a Canadian singer, born 1963, who is best known for the disco classic "Come to Me."-Teen stardom:A native of Montreal, Quebec, Joli grew up in the Montreal suburb of Dorion... ) |
- | - |
Chart success
| Year | Single | Album | US Pop Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
US Disco Singles Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Boogie Oogie Oogie Boogie Oogie Oogie "Boogie Oogie Oogie" is the name of a popular song by disco/R&B group A Taste of Honey. Released from their self-titled album in 1978, it became an extremely popular "crossover" song. The lyrics urge listeners to "boogie oogie oogie till you just can't boogie no more." It topped the Billboard Hot... " |
A Taste of Honey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1979 | "Disco Dancin'" | 69 | ||||||
| "Do It Good" | Another Taste | 79 | 13 | 72 | ||||
| 1980 | "I'm Talkin' 'Bout You" | Twice As Sweet | 64 | |||||
| "Rescue Me" | 16 | 77 | ||||||
| 1981 | "Sukiyaki Sukiyaki (song) The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart).... " |
3 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1982 | "I'll Try Something New I'll Try Something New I'll Try Something New is the third Tamla album by The Miracles. The title track was an important early single for the group, featuring Smokey Robinson's lead voice, a chorus led by his wife Claudette and an orchestra of strings... " |
Ladies of the Eighties | 41 | 9 | 29 | |||
| "We've Got the Groove" | 75 | |||||||
| 1985 | "Boogie Oogie Oogie" (remix Remix A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song .... ) |
59 |
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart