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Biography
about|the band||A Taste of Honey (disambiguation)Refimprove|date=February 2011Infobox musical artist | name = A Taste of Honey| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| origin = Los Angeles, California , United States | genre = Disco , adult contemporary , Rhythm and blues|R& B | years_active = 1971–1982| Country = United States| label = One Way Records|One Way , Capitol Records|Capitol | associated_acts =| website = http://www.janice-marie.com/ Officialwebsite| current_members =| past_members = Janice Marie Johnson Hazel Payne Perry Kibble (deceased) Donald Johnson A Taste of Honey was the name of an United States|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 (music)|solo musician|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 Public Broadcasting Service|PBS specials Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion and My Music: Funky Soul Superstars .
Biography
Formed during 1971, A Taste of Honey hailed from Los Angeles , California . The members of the band consisted of Janice-Marie Johnson (vocals, co-writer, bass guitar|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 (music)|single , " Boogie Oogie Oogie ", from their debut album A Taste of Honey , spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 549 It sold two million copies. The group was awarded two music recording sales certification|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 duet (music)|duo consisting of Johnson and Payne.
When sound recording and reproduction|recording their cover version of the Kyu Sakamoto song " Sukiyaki (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 (magazine)|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 (music)|solo musician|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& #33; 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 Indians|Stockbridge - Munsee - Mohican heritage according to her website's biography, was inducted in the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
Discography
Albums
Year
Album
R& B Albums
Pop Albums
1978
A Taste of Honey
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 (with CeCe Peniston , Thelma Houston , Linda Clifford and France Joli )
-
-
Chart success
Year
Single
Album
US Billboard Hot 100>Pop
US Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs>R& B
US Hot Dance Club Play>Club Play
US Hot Dance Singles Sales>Disco Singles
US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks>AC
UK Singles Chart
1978
" Boogie Oogie Oogie "
A Taste of Honey
1
1
1
1
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3
1979
"Disco Dancin'"
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69
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"Do It Good"
Another Taste
79
13
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72
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1980
"I'm Talkin' 'Bout You"
Twice As Sweet
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64
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"Rescue Me"
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16
77
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1981
Sukiyaki "
3
1
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1
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1982
" I'll Try Something New "
Ladies of the Eighties
41
9
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29
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"We've Got the Groove"
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75
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1985
"Boogie Oogie Oogie" ( remix )
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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
References
Reflist
External links
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p50080|label=A Taste of Honey
http://www.janice-marie.com/ Official Site
Grammy Award for Best New Artist DEFAULTSORT:Taste Of Honey Category:American dance music groups Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:American funk musical groups Category:Disco groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Girl groups Category:Musical duos Category:Musical groups established in 1971 Category:American soul musical groups
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