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Biography
Refimprove|date=December 2009Infobox musical artist | name = Sweet Honey in the Rock| image = Sweet Honey in the Rock.jpg| caption = Sweet Honey in the Rock live at Ravinia| background = group_or_band| origin = Washington, D.C. | genre = Gospel music|Gospel , blues , spoken word | years_active = Start-date|1973 - present| label = Flying Fish , Rounder Records , Sony Records , Redwood, Music for Little People, Earth Beat!, Rykodisc , Appleseed, Freedomsong Productions (Australia only), SHE ROCKS!| associated_acts = Ladysmith Black Mambazo | current_members = Ysaye Maria Barnwell Nitanju Bolade Casel Aisha Kahlil Louise Robinson Carol Lynn Maillard Shirley Childress Saxton | past_members = See list below| website = http://www.sweethoney.com/home.php Official site Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-women band|all-woman , African American|African-American a cappella ensemble. They are an United States|American Grammy Award -winning (and many times nominated) troupe who express their history as women of color through song, dance, and sign language .cite web|url= http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sweet-honey-in-the-rock-p3179/biography|title=Sweet Honey in the Rock/Biography|last=Post|first=Laura|year=2011|work=Allmusic biography|publisher=Rovi Corporation|accessdate=20 December 2011 They have together worked from four women to the difficult five-part harmony with a sixth member translating with sign language . Although the members have changed over 3 decades, they continue to sing and have helped to produce several children's records as well as those intended for adults.
Musical career
Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon , who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. Reagon retired from the group in 2004. The name of the group was derived from a song, based on Book of Psalms|Psalm 81:16 , which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Johnson has said that this first song in which four women blended their voices was so powerful, that there was no question what the name of the group should be. The name Sweet Honey in the Rock was inspired by Psalm 81:16, a reference to a sweet, nurturing substance and the strength of rock. The ensemble's most powerful messages are proclaimed through an enormous catalog of songs addressing the world's woes. They are currently occupied with immigration injustices, congressional greed and lack of compassion for hurting citizens, the environmental imbalance, racial issues and women's issues.
Sweet Honey in the Rock has received several Grammy Award nominate|nomination s, including one for their children's album, Still the Same Me which received the Silver Award from the National Association of Parenting Publications. They won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for their version of Leadbelly 's "Grey Goose" from the compilation album Folkways: A Vision Shared .
Their vocals appeared in number animation segments on the long-running Public Broadcasting Service|PBS series Sesame Street .
Influences
Sweet Honey in the Rock has been producing music for more than 30 years. Although the members of the group have changed over time, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a musical style rooted in the Gospel music , spirituals and hymn s of the African-American Church. The ensemble tackles difficult five-part harmonies and composes much of their own music. They have addressed topics including motherhood, spirituality, Freedom (political)|freedom , civil rights , domestic violence , immigration issues, and racism.cite web|url= http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/music/2011/12/sweet-honey-rock-spreads-holiday-cheer/1965681|title=Sweet Honey in the Rock spreads holiday cheer Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/music/2011/12/sweet-honey-rock-spreads-holiday-cheer/1965681#ixzz1hbZP1XOX|last=Cary|first=Emily|date=December 1, 2011|publisher=The Washington Examiner|accessdate=26 December 2011
Members
Over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Beginning as a quartet , the group is now composed of six African-American women (including a professional American Sign Language interpreter who accompanies the group on concert tours).
"Are We A Nation? "
On June 22, 2010, Sweet Honey released “Are We A Nation? ,” their response to Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB-1070. An official music video of the song was released online on July 2, 2010. Directed by James Lester, the video was shot in New York City at Tainted Blue Recording Studio during a live recording session of the song. Amanda Navarro researched and provided the video’s archival images and Russel Soder was the cinematographer. Ramon Hervey II served as the project’s executive producer. The band donated a portion of the proceeds from the sales of "Are We A Nation? " to The Center for Community Change, and organization founded in 1968 to honor the life of Robert F. Kennedy to assist low-income communities. Sweet Honey In The Rock also joined The SOUND STRIKE boycotting performances within Arizona in protest of the law.
Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Sweet Honey in the Rock | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1976 | Format = LP | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = ''B'lieve I'll Run On | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1978 | Format = LP | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Good News | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1981 | Format = LP | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = We All...Every One Of Us | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1983 | Format = LP | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Feel Something Drawing Me On | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1985 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = The Other Side | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1985 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Breaths | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1988 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = Live | Name = Live At Carnegie Hall | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1988 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = All For Freedom | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1989 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = In This Land | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1992 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Still On The Journey | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1993 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = I Got The Shoes | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1994 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Sacred Ground | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1996 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = compilation | Name = Selections (1976-1988) | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1997 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = ...Twenty Five... | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 1998 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Still The Same Me | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 2000 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = live | Name = Alive in Australia | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 2003 | Format = | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = The Women Gather | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 2003 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Endings and Beginnings | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 2004 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = studio | Name = Raise Your Voice | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 2005 | Format = CD | Label = | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles = Infobox Discography| Type = Studio | Name = Are We A Nation? | Other info = | from Album = | Released = 22 June 2010 | Format = CD & Digital | Label = "She Rocks 5" | Writer = | Producer = | Director = | Chart position= | Sales = | Certification = | Tracks = | Bonus tracks = | Singles =
Awards and nominations
Nominations
Grammy Awards 2008 Best Musical Album For Children - Experience...101
Grammy Awards 2000 Best Musical Album For Children - Still the Same Me
References
External links
Official website| http://www.sweethoney.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vtIO7y8TTZ8 "Are We A Nation? " Music Video|
Category:A cappella musical groups Category:American gospel musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1973 Category:Grammy Award winners
