The Hondells
Encyclopedia
The Hondells were an American
surf rock band
who hit the Top 10 with the 1964 single "Little Honda
".
"Little Honda", written
by Brian Wilson
and Mike Love
of The Beach Boys
, was inspired by the popularity of Honda motor bikes in Southern California during the early 1960s. The band recorded the song for its 1964 album All Summer Long
. Subsequently, producer Gary Usher gave former Castells vocalist Chuck Girard
a copy of "All Summer Long" and instructed him to learn "Little Honda". Usher then recruited a group of studio
musician
s – including Glen Campbell
and Hal Blaine
– to record an album of Honda-related songs for Mercury Records, with production credited to Nick Venet, though Usher was the brains behind the record. Aside from "Little Honda", most of the songs were written by Usher and KFWB disc jockey
and lyricist
Roger Christian. The album's cover showed a four-member group and its liner notes contained an elaborate back story, penned by Christian, which posited one Ritchie Burns as the founder and leader of the band. At the time the album was delivered, the name of the group had not been decided. Under consideration were the names "The Rising Sons" and "The Hondells". Venet chose the latter and released "Little Honda" as a single under the new group name. As the song climbed the charts
, Usher assembled a band to tour in support, and "Little Honda" eventually peaked at No. 9 on the U.S. pop singles chart
. As soon as they saw The Hondells' version on the charts, The Beach Boys released their version and scored a minor hit as well.
The Hondells released another album and scored another modest hit single with the Lovin' Spoonful song "A Younger Girl", before disbanding in 1965.
Girard became a popular and pioneering CCM
artist.
Indie rock band Yo La Tengo
covered the song "Little Honda" on their album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
.
--Al Ferguson (talk) 16:32, 22 November 2011 (UTC)Al Ferguson was the Lead guitar player and back up singer for the Hondells on the Younger Girl sessions along with the amazing Glen Campbell who did all the lead lead guitar work on these recordings. Also, you'll hear Glens voice bursting through the high notes on some of these songs. (Randy Thomas) did the lead vocals.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surf rock band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
who hit the Top 10 with the 1964 single "Little Honda
Little Honda
"Little Honda" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1964 album All Summer Long, and it was also featured on their EP, Four by The Beach Boys. It was covered by The Hondells, whose recording peaked at #9 on the U.S. pop...
".
"Little Honda", written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, was inspired by the popularity of Honda motor bikes in Southern California during the early 1960s. The band recorded the song for its 1964 album All Summer Long
All Summer Long
All Summer Long is the sixth studio album by The Beach Boys and their second in 1964. Recorded in the aftermath of the British Invasion, spearheaded by The Beatles, the album marked a major turning point in The Beach Boys' career, and in leader/prime songwriter Brian Wilson as an artist.All Summer...
. Subsequently, producer Gary Usher gave former Castells vocalist Chuck Girard
Chuck Girard
Chuck Girard is a pioneer of Contemporary Christian music. He was born August 27, 1943 in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Santa Rosa, California in his young teens...
a copy of "All Summer Long" and instructed him to learn "Little Honda". Usher then recruited a group of studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
musician
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....
s – including Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
and Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
– to record an album of Honda-related songs for Mercury Records, with production credited to Nick Venet, though Usher was the brains behind the record. Aside from "Little Honda", most of the songs were written by Usher and KFWB disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Roger Christian. The album's cover showed a four-member group and its liner notes contained an elaborate back story, penned by Christian, which posited one Ritchie Burns as the founder and leader of the band. At the time the album was delivered, the name of the group had not been decided. Under consideration were the names "The Rising Sons" and "The Hondells". Venet chose the latter and released "Little Honda" as a single under the new group name. As the song climbed the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, Usher assembled a band to tour in support, and "Little Honda" eventually peaked at No. 9 on the U.S. pop singles chart
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...
. As soon as they saw The Hondells' version on the charts, The Beach Boys released their version and scored a minor hit as well.
The Hondells released another album and scored another modest hit single with the Lovin' Spoonful song "A Younger Girl", before disbanding in 1965.
Girard became a popular and pioneering CCM
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
artist.
Indie rock band Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
covered the song "Little Honda" on their album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One is an album by Yo La Tengo. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and mixed in New York City. The album was released on Matador in 1997, and "Busy with My Thoughts" appeared on the Japanese version, the song also available as the b-side to the "Sugarcube"...
.
--Al Ferguson (talk) 16:32, 22 November 2011 (UTC)Al Ferguson was the Lead guitar player and back up singer for the Hondells on the Younger Girl sessions along with the amazing Glen Campbell who did all the lead lead guitar work on these recordings. Also, you'll hear Glens voice bursting through the high notes on some of these songs. (Randy Thomas) did the lead vocals.
Albums
- Go Little Honda (1964) US: #119 Mercury Records SR 60940 (Stereo) / MG 20940 (Monaural)
- The Hondells (1964)
- Greatest Hits (1996) Curb Records D2-77819
Singles
- "Little Honda" (1964) U.S.: #9
- "My Buddy Seat" (1965) U.S.: #87
- "Younger Girl" (1966) U.S.: #52