Honeymoon Suite (band)
Encyclopedia
Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian
rock
band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario
. The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls
is the unofficial honeymoon
capital.
(of Niagara Falls, Ontario), Keyboardist
Brad Bent (of Toronto, Ontario) and original drummer
Mike Lengyell, formerly with The Diodes
. Even after exhausting tours to sold out shows, great audience praise of the vocal pairings of Dee and Bent, praise of Lengyell's wood splintering drum fury, and praise of the overall unique originality of the band, the band could not sustain a financial stability. This prompted a hiatus and a few member changes, and they soon signed with WEA Canada
after they released their song "New Girl Now
", which won them an unsigned band contest put on by Toronto
radio station
Q107
.
Dee recruited Derry Grehan, and Ray Coburn on keyboards (replacing Bent), Gary Lalonde (formerly with Rose and Toronto
) on bass, and Dave Betts
(replacing Lengyell) on drums.
In 1984, they released their self-titled debut album
, which led to four big hits in Canada: "New Girl Now
", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies", and "Stay In the Light". The song "New Girl Now" was Honeymoon Suite's first single to reach the top-50 in the United States
.
Their follow up album, The Big Prize
, produced by Bruce Fairbairn
, was equally successful in Canada, with four more hits: "Feel It Again", "What Does It Take", "Bad Attitude", and "All Along You Knew". Their song "Feel It Again" reached the Top 40 in the US, while "What Does It Take" reached no. 52, buoyed by its inclusion on the soundtrack for the John Cusack
film One Crazy Summer
. In 1989, "Bad Attitude" was featured in the series finale of Miami Vice
, played during a Ferrari
driving segment that mirrored one from the series' pilot episode.
In 1986, founding keyboardist Ray Coburn temporarily left the band, replaced by Rob Preuss of Burlington, Ontario
-based Spoons
. Also during 1986 the band produced a track for the Charlie Sheen
film The Wraith
- "Those Were the Days".
In the spring of 1987, the band produced a track for the Mel Gibson
film Lethal Weapon
- "Lethal Weapon". In the winter of 1987, the band started work on their third album in L.A.
Unfortunately, Johnnie Dee was hit by a car at L.A.X. airport
, breaking his leg in several places, and required surgery to insert a ten inch pin to help the leg heal properly. While Dee was recovering in hospital, one-time Doobie Brothers
member Michael McDonald
was brought in to help out with the recording sessions; he wrote lyrics and sang back up on "Long Way Back", a forthcoming track for their next album.
In 1988, their third album was finally released: Racing After Midnight
, produced by Ted Templeman
of Van Halen
fame. That album made the top 10 in Canada, but was not as successful in the U.S. Singles included "Love Changes Everything", "Looking Out for Number One", "Cold Look" (European only) and "It's Over Now".
In 1989, the band released their first greatest hits compilation, The Singles, which included the new single "Still Loving You". Coburn rejoined the band in time to embark on "The Singles" tour, which would turn out to be the last tour featuring the band's original line-up until 2007.
By 1991, Lalonde and Betts had left the band, and were replaced by Steve Webster (from Billy Idol
's band) on bass and Jorn Anderson from Fludd and Alannah Myles
on drums. The band returned to the studio to craft 'Monsters Under The Bed' with Paul Northfield producing. Singles like "Say You Don't Know Me" and "The Road" did well in Canada but once again failed to make a dent in the US. They'd had songs played on TV's 'Miami Vice' and songs on two movie soundtracks ('Lethal Weapon II' and 'One Crazy Summer') and had won awards. Things were in perspective for them, but the band would once again loose Ray Coburn. He was replaced on keyboards by Peter Nunn.
The band continued to tour in the '90s, although many line-up changes continued to occur, with only Dee and Grehan remaining as the founding members. Sass Jordan
bassist Stan Miczek joined in 1998 for the first of his 3 two year stints with the band. Stan also played bass on the 2008 CD Clifton Hill
In 2002 they released their first new studio album in 11 years, Lemon Tongue. The album was released under an independent label, and leaned towards a more artistic and adventurous direction than their previous rock releases. The European release of this album was titled Dreamland, and featured many track changes, adding the new songs "Dreamland", "Radiant", "Even Now" and "Just Love Somebody".
In 2006 the band released another greatest hits collection entitled Feel It Again: An Anthology, a 2-CD set featuring most of the band's singles, selected album tracks, and rare and unreleased material.
In June 2007, the band officially announced the return of a reunited classic line-up of Johnnie Dee, Derry Grehan, Ray Coburn, Gary Lalonde, and Dave Betts. The band toured extensively throughout Canada in 2007 and 2008 and then entered the studio to record a new album. The high point of the reunion was the new CD Clifton Hill
, produced by Tom Treumuth (who produced the self-titled Honeymoon Suite debut album in 1984) and named after the famous landmark in the centre of the tourist activity in Niagara Falls. The album was released in Canada in late September 2008 on Koch Records and subsequently by Italian
melodic rock label Frontiers Records
on October 10, 2008. The new album is described by guitarist Derry Grehan as "somewhat of a return musically to the sound that we had in the 80's".
In 2009 the band continues to tour Canada and select Northeastern United States cities. However on September 1, 2009, it was announced that the band had parted ways with original keyboardist Ray Coburn. Peter Nunn returned to the band lineup to replace him for the second time. The band made a successful appearance at Firefest 6 Nottingham, England to a very enthusiastic audience in October, 2009.
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...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
. The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
is the unofficial honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
capital.
Band history
The band was originally formed in 1981 by lead vocalist and guitarist Johnnie DeeJohnnie Dee
Johnnie Dee is a Canadian rock vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the rock band Honeymoon Suite. Dee and guitarist Derry Grehan formed Honeymoon Suite in Niagara Falls, Ontario in the early 1980s...
(of Niagara Falls, Ontario), Keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Brad Bent (of Toronto, Ontario) and original drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mike Lengyell, formerly with The Diodes
The Diodes
The Diodes are a Canadian punk/new wave band formed in 1976. They released five albums: Diodes , Released , Action-Reaction , Survivors , and Time/Damage Live 1978...
. Even after exhausting tours to sold out shows, great audience praise of the vocal pairings of Dee and Bent, praise of Lengyell's wood splintering drum fury, and praise of the overall unique originality of the band, the band could not sustain a financial stability. This prompted a hiatus and a few member changes, and they soon signed with WEA Canada
Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...
after they released their song "New Girl Now
New Girl Now
"New Girl Now" is a song by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite. It was released as a single in 1984, from the album Honeymoon Suite. The single reached #57 in the United States and reached #23 in Canada. It was featured on the Bones episode The Woman in Limbo...
", which won them an unsigned band contest put on by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
Q107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
.
Dee recruited Derry Grehan, and Ray Coburn on keyboards (replacing Bent), Gary Lalonde (formerly with Rose and Toronto
Toronto (band)
Toronto was a Canadian rock band from the late seventies and early eighties who have been compared to Heart and Pat Benatar. They were formed in the late 1970s in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, when singer Annie "Holly" Woods met guitarist Brian Allen...
) on bass, and Dave Betts
Dave Betts
Dave Betts is a Canadian rock drummer, best known as the drummer for Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite....
(replacing Lengyell) on drums.
In 1984, they released their self-titled debut album
Honeymoon Suite (album)
Honeymoon Suite was the debut album by the band Honeymoon Suite, released in 1984 on Warner Bros. Records. It went certified Platinum in Canada and all four singles - "New Girl Now", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies" and "Stay In The Light" - were certified Gold as well in Canada.- Track listing :#...
, which led to four big hits in Canada: "New Girl Now
New Girl Now
"New Girl Now" is a song by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite. It was released as a single in 1984, from the album Honeymoon Suite. The single reached #57 in the United States and reached #23 in Canada. It was featured on the Bones episode The Woman in Limbo...
", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies", and "Stay In the Light". The song "New Girl Now" was Honeymoon Suite's first single to reach the top-50 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Their follow up album, The Big Prize
The Big Prize
The Big Prize is the second album by Honeymoon Suite, released in early 1986. It featured four hit singles, including the band's biggest hit in the U.S., "Feel It Again," and "Bad Attitude," which was notably featured in a sequence in the final episode of Miami Vice three years later...
, produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...
, was equally successful in Canada, with four more hits: "Feel It Again", "What Does It Take", "Bad Attitude", and "All Along You Knew". Their song "Feel It Again" reached the Top 40 in the US, while "What Does It Take" reached no. 52, buoyed by its inclusion on the soundtrack for the John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
film One Crazy Summer
One Crazy Summer
-Production:Several locations on Cape Cod, Massachusetts were used for the film: Barnstable High School , Hyannis West Elementary School , the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard And Nantucket Steamship Authority ferry dock in Woods Hole, where the characters board the ferry, and the motorcycle gang...
. In 1989, "Bad Attitude" was featured in the series finale of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, played during a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
driving segment that mirrored one from the series' pilot episode.
In 1986, founding keyboardist Ray Coburn temporarily left the band, replaced by Rob Preuss of Burlington, Ontario
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
-based Spoons
Spoons (band)
Spoons are a Canadian New Wave new romantic synth pop music group, formed in 1979 in Burlington, Ontario. They recorded several Canadian chart hits between 1982 and 1989, and in 1983, they won Group of the Year at the U-Know awards...
. Also during 1986 the band produced a track for the Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
film The Wraith
The Wraith
The Wraith is a 1986 action/science fiction film, directed and written by Mike Marvin. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia....
- "Those Were the Days".
In the spring of 1987, the band produced a track for the Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
film Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
- "Lethal Weapon". In the winter of 1987, the band started work on their third album in L.A.
Los 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...
Unfortunately, Johnnie Dee was hit by a car at L.A.X. airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, breaking his leg in several places, and required surgery to insert a ten inch pin to help the leg heal properly. While Dee was recovering in hospital, one-time Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
member Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
was brought in to help out with the recording sessions; he wrote lyrics and sang back up on "Long Way Back", a forthcoming track for their next album.
In 1988, their third album was finally released: Racing After Midnight
Racing After Midnight
Racing After Midnight is the third album by Honeymoon Suite. It was released in 1988 .- Track Listing :- Personnel :*Johnnie Dee - lead vocals*Dermot "Derry" Grehan - guitars, vocals*Dave Betts - drums*Gary Lalonde - bass...
, produced by Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman is an American record producer.-Career:He began his career in the mid 1960s in the Santa Cruz area as a drummer in a band called The Tikis. At the suggestion of Lenny Waronker, the group decided to change their name. Harpers Bizarre was born in 1966, with Templeman switching to...
of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
fame. That album made the top 10 in Canada, but was not as successful in the U.S. Singles included "Love Changes Everything", "Looking Out for Number One", "Cold Look" (European only) and "It's Over Now".
In 1989, the band released their first greatest hits compilation, The Singles, which included the new single "Still Loving You". Coburn rejoined the band in time to embark on "The Singles" tour, which would turn out to be the last tour featuring the band's original line-up until 2007.
By 1991, Lalonde and Betts had left the band, and were replaced by Steve Webster (from Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's band) on bass and Jorn Anderson from Fludd and Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album...
on drums. The band returned to the studio to craft 'Monsters Under The Bed' with Paul Northfield producing. Singles like "Say You Don't Know Me" and "The Road" did well in Canada but once again failed to make a dent in the US. They'd had songs played on TV's 'Miami Vice' and songs on two movie soundtracks ('Lethal Weapon II' and 'One Crazy Summer') and had won awards. Things were in perspective for them, but the band would once again loose Ray Coburn. He was replaced on keyboards by Peter Nunn.
The band continued to tour in the '90s, although many line-up changes continued to occur, with only Dee and Grehan remaining as the founding members. Sass Jordan
Sass Jordan
Sarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...
bassist Stan Miczek joined in 1998 for the first of his 3 two year stints with the band. Stan also played bass on the 2008 CD Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill may mean:*Clifton Hill, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia*Clifton Hill , a major tourist promenade with souvenir stores, attractions and diners in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada...
In 2002 they released their first new studio album in 11 years, Lemon Tongue. The album was released under an independent label, and leaned towards a more artistic and adventurous direction than their previous rock releases. The European release of this album was titled Dreamland, and featured many track changes, adding the new songs "Dreamland", "Radiant", "Even Now" and "Just Love Somebody".
In 2006 the band released another greatest hits collection entitled Feel It Again: An Anthology, a 2-CD set featuring most of the band's singles, selected album tracks, and rare and unreleased material.
In June 2007, the band officially announced the return of a reunited classic line-up of Johnnie Dee, Derry Grehan, Ray Coburn, Gary Lalonde, and Dave Betts. The band toured extensively throughout Canada in 2007 and 2008 and then entered the studio to record a new album. The high point of the reunion was the new CD Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill (album)
Clifton Hill is an album by Honeymoon Suite released in late 2008. It is the band's newest studio album since 2002.-Background and details:...
, produced by Tom Treumuth (who produced the self-titled Honeymoon Suite debut album in 1984) and named after the famous landmark in the centre of the tourist activity in Niagara Falls. The album was released in Canada in late September 2008 on Koch Records and subsequently by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
melodic rock label Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records is an Italian record label, predominantly producing melodic rock. It was formed in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples, Italy.-History:...
on October 10, 2008. The new album is described by guitarist Derry Grehan as "somewhat of a return musically to the sound that we had in the 80's".
In 2009 the band continues to tour Canada and select Northeastern United States cities. However on September 1, 2009, it was announced that the band had parted ways with original keyboardist Ray Coburn. Peter Nunn returned to the band lineup to replace him for the second time. The band made a successful appearance at Firefest 6 Nottingham, England to a very enthusiastic audience in October, 2009.
Studio albums
- Honeymoon SuiteHoneymoon Suite (album)Honeymoon Suite was the debut album by the band Honeymoon Suite, released in 1984 on Warner Bros. Records. It went certified Platinum in Canada and all four singles - "New Girl Now", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies" and "Stay In The Light" - were certified Gold as well in Canada.- Track listing :#...
(1984) #38 CAN - The Big PrizeThe Big PrizeThe Big Prize is the second album by Honeymoon Suite, released in early 1986. It featured four hit singles, including the band's biggest hit in the U.S., "Feel It Again," and "Bad Attitude," which was notably featured in a sequence in the final episode of Miami Vice three years later...
(1986) #6 CAN - Racing After MidnightRacing After MidnightRacing After Midnight is the third album by Honeymoon Suite. It was released in 1988 .- Track Listing :- Personnel :*Johnnie Dee - lead vocals*Dermot "Derry" Grehan - guitars, vocals*Dave Betts - drums*Gary Lalonde - bass...
(1988) #8 CAN - Monsters Under the Bed (1991)
- Lemon Tongue (2001)
- Dreamland (2002)
- Clifton HillClifton Hill (album)Clifton Hill is an album by Honeymoon Suite released in late 2008. It is the band's newest studio album since 2002.-Background and details:...
(2008)
Compilations
- The Singles (1989) #45 CAN
- The Essentials - Honeymoon Suite (2005)
- Feel It Again: An Anthology (2006)
Singles
- "New Girl NowNew Girl Now"New Girl Now" is a song by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite. It was released as a single in 1984, from the album Honeymoon Suite. The single reached #57 in the United States and reached #23 in Canada. It was featured on the Bones episode The Woman in Limbo...
" (1984) #23 CAN, #57 US - "Burning In Love" (1984) #75 CAN
- "Stay In the Light" (1985) #44 CAN
- "Wave Babies" (1985) #59 CAN
- "Feel It Again" (1986) #16 CAN, #34 US
- "What Does It Take" (1986) #28 CAN, #52 US
- "Bad Attitude" (1986)
- "All Along You Knew" (1986) #65 CAN
- "Lethal Weapon" (1987) #54 CAN
- "Love Changes Everything" (1988) #9 CAN, #91 US
- "Lookin' Out for Number One" (1988) #35 CAN
- "Other Side of Midnight" (1988)
- "It's Over Now" (1988) #40 CAN
- "Cold Look" (1988)
- "Still Lovin' You" (1989)
- "Long Way" (1990)
- "Say You Don't Know Me" (1991)
- "The Road" (1992)
- "The Way I Do" (2002)
- "Gone" (2003)
- "Tired O' Waitin' on You" (2008)
- "Ordinary" (2009)